Shortly after Kell was declared the winner, he collapsed into Will's arms. Daimona proudly hoisted him on her back.

  “Champions shouldn't have to walk anyways!!” she exclaimed. Norok pat Kell on the back, smiling with a relief Daimona had never seen her brother have before.

  “Were you really worried?” Daimona cooed mockingly.

  Norok’s face flushed. He coughed, clearing his throat and gesturing behind them. “How could I not worry? Even you would've had a hard time with that…”

  Behind them, the rival team was pulling Rik’s body out of the water. Daimona could hear Bash say, “I-i-it’s alright! He's breathing!”

  “Of course he's alive--” Will’s annoyed voice interjected, but he was quickly interrupted by Leka's wail.

  “I'M SO GLAD HE'S OKAY!” she blubbered.

  Their chatter began to fade the further Daimona, Norok and Kell got away. Soon, the three of them were passing under quiet trees again, the black tower rising ways ahead of them.

  Kell’s chin slumped over her shoulder. His breath came out in long, exhausted puffs next to her ear. “Thanks for the lift, Daimona.”

  “Don't mention it,” Daimona replied, pressing her cheek into his. “I'll let you carry me next time.”

  Norok asked, “Hey, what happened at the very end there? All I caught was a big light… That was you, right?”

  “Yeah,” Kell replied. “Rik tried to grab me after his last move. I guess he was trying to use the tremors to throw me off balance. I freaked out and ended up blasting us both. I didn't even know where I ended up till after.”

  “It was pretty smart not to use your magic till the very end! You really beat him with what he gave you,” Daimona said excitedly. Kell clung to her tightly as she swayed, mimicking Rik’s punches.

  “It wasn't much of a strategy, but thank you,” Kell said. He pulled his cap down low, hiding his eyes.

  “Honestly dude, you're probably better off not using your fire magic,” Norok pointed out. “Even Irina seemed impressed by what you could do without it.”

  Kell shook his head, and as he answered, his voice sounded far off. “It's my true magic, though. I can't give it up just like that.”

  “You can't give up missing every fireball?” Daimona chimed in, confused by the sudden severity in his tone.

  Kell kept his eyes trained to the ground as he replied simply, “I can't give up what I am.”

  Later that night, Daimona mused on his words, roaming the halls after dinner. Wasn't it giving up what he was that made him stronger? Isn't that how he won? Daimona didn't really get it.

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  A pair of voices up ahead in the corridor made her pause. “... I'm telling you, I did it right, you saw what happened with the coins.”

  “R-Rik, you should focus on recovery…” Daimona heard Bash timidly reply. They were tucked in one of the tower’s many alcoves, unable to see Daimona's approach. Slowly, she pressed herself against the wall, listening in.

  “We can discuss th-this after boot camp is over,” Bash said softly. “I'm not mad at you f-for losing. You were great out there.”

  “This isn't about me! I'm saying he shouldn't have been able to escape that, Captain,” Rik replied. There was a low thud after that, the sound of someone slinking against the wall. Daimona tried not to snicker at the mental image of his pouting face. “There's something up with Prodikor.”

  Daimona was closer to the entryway now. From the corner of her eye, she could see their backs turned to her, as they were looking out into the dark beyond the window. It wasn't just Bash and Rik, she realized-- Zia was there too, standing in front of Rik with her hands pressed to his eyes.

  After a long pause, Bash finally said, “I b-believe you, Rik. I do. I'll look into it--”

  “--thank you, Captain, I'll--”

  “On my own,” Bash interrupted. She reached out to place a light hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him. “But I n-need you to focus on recuperating. I can't h-h-have you out of the next trial.”

  “You should be just about done,” Zia added gently. Rik sighed, leaning into her hands.

  “Why do I still feel like trash?”

  “Because you're too hard on yourself,” Zia said, pinching his cheek. “And because I heal wounds, not fatigue.”

  The touching moment was ruined as Daimona felt a sharp pain in her leg. Another one of Bash’s meaty gremlins was pulling back from her, tongue hanging out with pride. Bash, Rik and Zia all turned to the corner, where Daimona had stepped out to kick the creature for giving her away.

  Bash clapped her hands, and her monster scampered towards her, climbing up into her arms. “S-s-sorry!! This one's new.”

  “Oh, uh--” Daimona tried to look more casual, emulating her brother as she shoved her hands in her pockets and scrunched her face up in an indifferent fashion. “It's whatever.”

  Zia pulled her hands away from Rik, folding them respectfully over her chest. “Was there something you needed, Lady Daimona?”

  “That chick’s hardly a lady,” Rik muttered. “I heard her screaming in the stands. Sounded like a wild animal to me.”

  “Sounded like a real wuss in the arena to me,” Daimona shot back, sticking her tongue out at Rik. “Explaining your lame curse just for you to lose is pathetic.”

  Rik's nose flared, and he turned away from her with clenched fists. Zia chuckled under her mask.

  “You have more of a spine than your b-b-brother,” Bash noted. It wasn't an insult; Daimona could see it in those violet eyes. Bash didn't have it in her to antagonize, to taunt as others in the military did. No, Bash just called it as she saw it. Which was, in Daimona's opinion, so much worse.

  “If you're gonna stutter like that, maybe you should just stop talking,” Daimona countered. “Must be really annoying for your team to hear you choke on every command.”

  “Hey, watch it--!!” Rik stepped forward, reaching out to grab Daimona by the collar. She just stood and smirked at him.

  “Please, you couldn't even beat Kell. You really think you can take me, pretty boy?”

  Rik shook with rage. But before he could do anything, Bash placed a hand on his arm.

  “It's alright, Rik,” she said. “L-let her go.”

  Begrudgingly, he let Daimona go. Bash motioned for them to leave, leaning into Daimona's space to say softly, “Celebrate while you can. We never lose twice.”