*Adela*

Loud, festive music filled the nighttime streets which were lit up by colorful iridescent spheres of light strung together.

"Woah!" Renshu said, laughing. He turned to look at me. "Hey, is it fine if we join in?"

I nodded. "Go ahead, you deserve it," I said.

"Yahoo! Everyone let's go play!" He rushed off into the dancing crowd in front of us.

"Hey, wait for us!" my big brother yelled. He and the others rushed after Renshu. Well, except for Cheng who was going in the opposite direction.

I glanced over at my childhood friend. "You aren't going to join us?" I asked, turning around.

"You know how much I hate loud music," he said, rubbing his ears. "These lights too. They make my senses go haywire."

"Sorry, I should've known that."

He shrugged. "It's fine. Back home they rarely act up like this, but here... they've been going like crazy." He rubbed his ears and winced. He leaned his back against a mud-brick building.

"Want me to help out?" I asked, placing a hand on his right shoulder. "I can carry you back to the hotel."

"No, go on, enjoy yourself. I can make it back to the hotel on my own," he said, smiling.

"You sure?"

He sighed. "I don't want you to give up joining in the festivities to care for someone like me."

I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? Cheng, I'm your friend since we were kids. I still remembered that you were the only one whom Elliot would lower his voice around."

Cheng snickered. "It's a mystery how someone like me became friends with a guy that loud in the first place." He inched forward. "But don't worry, I'll power though this headache and make it back safely."

I pushed him forward, much to my surprise, he didn't trip over. "Alright, I'll trust you this time. But if you fail to make it back to the hotel when I return then I'll make you listen to Elliot's singing!"

Cheng gulped. "You wouldn't actually do that, would you?"

I smirked as I turned away from him. "Try me if you dare. Anyway, see you later!"

"Bye, have fun!"

"I will!"

***

It was no surprise that Cheng was sensory overload. The music the deeper I went got louder and louder. Though suddenly it became quiet. The loud music was soon replaced by the sound of guitar strumming.

"This is the story of the boy who wanted to become Magus Maximus!" someone called out in a sing-song voice. "He was born into an impoverished family. He was a frail boy. The kids at school mocked him for for the way he breathed. You see, he was born with asthma which prevented him from participating in events with the other kids. He could barely use magic without triggering one of his asthma attacks. Many thought that he should give up on being a mage. Then he went on to prove them wrong."

This voice...

"He set out to make his dream come true!" the singer said, raising the volume of his voice. "He took on the exam to one of the so-called best schools on the continent of Tozan Hoshi. Though there he too was met with discrimination. Though he didn't sit down and take it. He rose up fought against it. Those who sought to kick him out were instead the ones who were shown the door. Then he went on and took on the Novus Magus Secundus exam. While in the world of dragon, in a dream he met a man who claimed he resembled the previous Magus Maximus."

I worked my way around the crowd.

"Continuing the honor of his ancestors, he passed the exam with flying colors! Though soon he met a bigger challenge when he returned home. Beings of darkness had returned to this world seeking to plunge into darkness. The descent of darkness upon world was imminent, however, he and his friends took a stand once more.

"They push against the wave of shadow. Though the boy was devoured by a black panther-like creature, he continued to stride. He gasped a hold on life! He absorbed the being of shadow. However, the creature wouldn't let him win. His friends saved his life, returning him to the light. Now before you all, winning medals for his nation of birth! This prince of Rios has returned to his ancestral home! There he will make the world and beyond know his name!"

I smiled. "Lei!" I yelled without thinking about it.

Lei grinned at me. "And there's one who already knows his name!" He jumped off the stage and bowed to me while removing the large sombrero he had on. "Nice of you to join us, little lady."

I snickered. "What was that?"

"That was the start of the Legend of Lei Lan!" he said in a loud voice, continuing to speak in his sing-song voice.

"Now it's time to tell you the Legend of Kun Lan! The handsomest of the three triplets!" Kun yelled from another part of the plaza.

Lei grumbled. "Handsomest? You look identical to me, you narcissist!" Lei yelled back.

I stared at his black charro suit with green embroidery. He looked really handsome in it.

"So, Adela, did you like it?" he asked. He flashed me a hopeful smile.

I guess he had forgotten our battle in the forest if he was acting this friendly. Then again, Lei did forgive me for doubting him about Mayu and the others wanting to kick us out of the school.

I nodded. "Yeah, it looks real nice on you!"

He laughed. "Not that, my song."

"Oh that, it was a nice song, but I didn't know you knew how to sing."

His face reddened. "Well, I tend to sing in the shower at times," he said, averting his eyes.

"You were amazing, Lei!" Yuzuki said, running over to hug him.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What do you think you're doing?" I asked.

"Congratulating Lei on his performance obviously," she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Surprisingly it was good. I expected the kid to be tone-deaf," Nyima said.

"How rude," Lei said, pouting. "And in case you've forgotten, I'm the older one! So I should be the one calling you 'kid'!"

Nyima snickered. "Well, you sound like a kid still. Plus you're shorter than me."

Lei grumbled. "You want to fight, Taiyang?"

"Bring it, Lan!" she said, walking up to him.

"Has hanging out with that jerk changed you?" I asked, staring at Nyima.

"You mean Ayawamat? Nah, Nyima has always been rude to me since we met."

"Well, you were the one who started it first," Nyima said, looking straight at his eyes.

"That was an accident, okay?"

I sighed. Seemed that the two were still fighting.

"Say, where is Ayawamat anyway?" Lei asked, looking around.

"He's looking over Orion," Yuzuki said. "Though I'm not sure why. Last I remembered, he hated him because he was weak."

"Perhaps Orion showed a sight of him that earned Ayawamat's respect," Lei suggested. He lowered his head. "Wish I could've seen it. Even after all these years I've yet to earn it. Uh, not that I'm pining for it."

"Think it's connected to their shared past," Nyima said. "Orion and Ayawamat used to be friends it seems."

"What? Really? How did a nice guy like Orion becomes friends with a guy like him?" Lei asked.

"Maybe he was different," I said.

Lei laughed. "Ahh, like you were when we met! You used to hate my guts! Hmm, guess I won your respect eventually, huh?"

I smiled. "You certainly did. I'm sure you will one day earn that jerk's respect, whether you mean to or not. Same goes for everyone else?"

His eyes sparkled. "Y-you really think so?"

"I do," Yuzuki said, hugging him some more.

I turned my eyes away from Lei's clingy friend, else the sensation of beating her up would continue to bubble within me. "Yeah, of course I do."

"Well, maybe," Nyima said.

Lei chuckled. "Thanks!"

The three of us blushed. The face he was making was too cute for words to describe. I felt like hugging him like how Yuzuki was, but that would be too embarrassing.

"Yo!" a familiar voice called out. Flying overhead was Iah.

"Hey!" Lei said, waving at him. "You missed my musical number!"

The golden eyed prince grinned. "Musical number? Does that mean that one day we might see 'Lei's greatest hits'?"

Lei laughed. "Who knows, maybe you will!"

"Well, I'll look forward to it. Anyway, did you check out the match up for the next round of the tournament event?"

"No, I haven't," Lei said.

"Nor have I," I said.

"Who are you facing?" Nyima asked.

"Is it Xian?" Yuzuki asked.

Iah wagged his finger. "Nope! You Wahkanians will be up against us Minans!"

Nyima and Lei grinned. "Hope that means we get to have a rematch!" Lei said. "I've gotten a lot stronger since we fought on that boat!"

Iah nodded. "No need to tell me that, I've seen it first-hand. Though so have I."

Lei glanced at Nyima. "Though there are others who might challenge me for the chance to go up against you."

Nyima scoffed. "You can have Iah. I still have a score to settle with his ex."

"Huh?" Yuzuki and I said.

"Uh, well, you see... Iah's ex got jealous of Nyima. She thinks she's the reason he doesn't want to get back together with her," Lei said, smiling awkwardly.

"Really? Didn't you try to explain it to her?" I asked, glancing at my former fiancée.

Iah sighed. "Of course I did, but she won't believe me."

"Actually, I'm surprised that she's not with you," Nyima said, leering at him.

"I lost her," Iah said, laughing.

"There you are, Iah!" a green haired girl yelled as she emerged from the crowd. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Psst, use your new spell to paralyze her," I whispered.

"What if I end up burning her or poisoning her instead?" Iah whispered back.

The girl glared at me. "Iah, why are you whispering to this girl?" Her eyes moved lower. "Hmm, judging by how she's dressed, she looks as bad as that blue-haired girl right there."

"I got a name you know!" Nyima snapped.

"Hey, calm down!" Yuzuki said, restraining her. "Fights outside of the events are forbidden! You'll get your chance tomorrow night!"

I smiled at Iah's ex. "Well, if you care to know, I'm Iah's first love."

"H-hey, don't introduce yourself like that!" Iah yelled. He was blushing like crazy.

"Isn't that true, though?"

Iah turned away. "W-well... Uh, yeah... you were."

"Well, this is awkward," Yuzuki whispered as she stared at my teammates and Iah's ex.

"Indeed," Nyima said, glaring at me. Was she jealous? Then did that mean she liked Iah too? Hmm, now that was something I could use to my advantage...

"I see..." Iah's ex said. "So you're the girl who broke my poor Iah's heart."

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. It was true, but I wasn't sure what to respond with. I didn't want to say something snarky about it in front of Iah.

"Well, once I'm done wipping the floor with the blue skank, I'll take you on, pinky."

"I'll be the one who'll be wiping the floor with you! You reject!" Nyima snapped.

"Woah," Lei said, trying not to laugh.

"Like I'll lose to a half-baked water mage like you!" the girl said before departing.

"She's just leaving like that?" Yuzuki asked. "Thought she wanted to be near Iah."

"I think that you two might've made a mistake," Iah said, turning to look at Nyima and me.

"Yeah, it seems you've flared her fighting spirit," Lei said as he put his hands behind his head. "That'll make her a tougher opponent than she already is."

"Then all the better!" Nyima said, scoffing. "It give me a chance to crush her spirits in battle! Oh, now I can't wait for tomorrow night!"

"Seems someone else's fighting spirit was awakened," Lei said, laughing nervously. 

I nodded as I watched Nyima start to punch and kick the air frantically. Lei was right when he said that Nyima was scary when she was mad...

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter, especially Lei's little song xD. For those who aren't familiar with what a charro suit is, it looks like this-

When writing Lei's song, I imagined it sung in the ranchera style (a genre of music popular in my ancestral home, Mexico)**