After our date, Luke and I were so tired that we crashed almost as soon as our heads hit our pillows. Well—our pillow. Because, despite both of us desperately needing the rest, Luke insisted on squeezing into my bed again. Not that I really minded, but it did get a bit stuffy. And don't even get me started on how much he fidgets.

When I woke up, he was already dressed and ready to go, practically bouncing on the spot as he watched me drag myself out of bed.

"Finally! Hurry up or they'll run out of everything and we'll be stuck with toast again," he whined, arms crossed like some long-suffering parent.

I groaned but got ready as quickly as I could. Not quickly enough for Luke, though. The second I pulled on my shoes, he was yanking me out the door. I barely had time to run a towel through my damp hair—guess I'd just have to hope I wouldn't catch a cold.

Luke, on the other hand, was absolutely buzzing. After all, today wasn't just any day. It was the day the Proelium officially began.

I knew I wasn't the only one feeling confident. Our whole team had been training for this, and we were sure we'd win our first duel—no matter who we were up against. We wouldn't find out our opponent until lunchtime, but that wasn't a problem. We'd beat them, then our opponent for tomorrow would be announced. I could only hope it would be as simple as it sounded.

"Why do you walk so slow? Stop spacing out, Nate!" Luke groaned as he dragged me along like an impatient child on Christmas morning.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," I muttered, though I couldn't help the tiny smile tugging at my lips. His excitement was contagious.

And okay—maybe the tournament wasn't the only thing putting a bounce in my step. Today was also the day we'd finally tell everyone we were officially dating. I know it sounds silly, but somehow, that excited me even more than the Proelium ever could.

God, when did I become so sappy?

***

The morning dragged on at a truly painful pace, but eventually, lunchtime rolled around, and we all made our way to the tournament board.

"Who do you think we'll be up against?" Nilla asked, bouncing excitedly beside us. Even Alec had come to check.

"No idea," he said, but being our resident expert (and the only one of us who'd done this before), he soon began to explain, "There are loads of teams this year, but they usually match you up against someone from your own school first."

Mara hummed in thought, already strategizing in her mind. As our unofficial team leader, it was her job to make sure we were ready for whatever got thrown at us. She'd put us through hell during training but, thanks to that, I knew we were in the right hands.

Alec liked to think he was in charge, being the oldest and most experienced, but even he listened to her every command. Not that it stopped them from arguing constantly.

"Here we go," Luke announced, reaching the board first. He ran a finger down the list, searching for our names. "We're up against... oh. Beast's team."

Mara shoved him aside to see for herself.

"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered. "There are dozens of teams, and we get them?"

Before she could start dissecting the logistics of fate, Blake tapped my shoulder and passed me a hastily scribbled note.

"Uh... Blake thinks Beast pulled some strings to get matched against us," I translated. "He wants revenge for before. Public revenge."

All eyes turned to Mara again.

"Well," she said, rolling her shoulders like she was warming up for a fight, "we beat them before. We'll do it again."

Her confidence was infectious, and just like that, our team was back in game mode.

"We'll meet outside after school," Mara said. "I assume we'll all be ready to head out by then?"

We nodded, then parted ways as the bell rang, dragging us reluctantly back to class.

***

Thankfully, the end of the day passed much faster than the beginning, and the second the bell rang, Luke grabbed my hand and pulled me along as he rushed out of the classroom.

"Why did you make Nate run all the way here?" Mara demanded when we arrived, both sweating after sprinting across the length of the school. "Alec still has to drive back to pick us up."

I wheezed, trying to catch my breath while Luke and Mara started bickering again. As weird as it was, though, their arguments had become almost friendly lately.

"Hey, boss, what's the plan?" Nilla asked, skipping over with Blake trailing behind her.

"Same as last time," Mara said. "But this time, Nate's not fighting Beast alone."

Luke immediately brightened at that.

Not that I didn't think I could take Beast on by myself now—I knew I could—but I also knew Mara had a point. And Luke would just stress himself out if I fought him alone, especially with the whole weird magic sword situation.

"Sounds good," Luke said. "When's Alec getting here?"

"He should be on his way. He had to head back to work after lunch, but Trinity Academy isn't too far—oh, speak of the devil..."

A sleek black van rolled up, looking like something straight out of a spy movie. Tinted windows, expensive make—the whole deal. Definitely Alec's. The driver's window rolled down, revealing Alec's smug, white-haired grin.

"Took you long enough," Mara muttered, tapping the side of the van before climbing into the front seat.

The rest of us piled into the back.

***

"These are amazing!" Nilla and Luke gasped in unison as they stepped out of the dressing rooms in their dueling suits.

Each one had been tailored to our individual styles. Nilla wore a sleeveless red outfit with white details and a frilled school-skirt bottom, paired with knee-high socks. Luke, on the other hand, had gone for something much more casual—a grey t-shirt under a dark purple leather jacket that made his eyes pop.

"They're pretty cool, aren't they?" Alec smirked, adjusting the high collar of his own suit. His was all-black, a sleek, skintight leather one-piece with glowing electric-blue stripes running through it.

Blake emerged next, looking effortlessly sharp in what was basically a full suit—except the material was clearly reinforced for battle.

Finally, Mara stepped out, and—wow.

Like Alec, she wore a fitted one-piece, but hers was made of a soft yet durable fabric, and there were two dark grey ovals on the back—perfectly placed for when her wings emerged.

As for me? I had a simple black jacket, black trousers, and black boots. The only fancy thing about it was the gold detailing down the sleeves and around the pockets.

Mara really had put a lot of thought into these. She really did care.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Mara asked.

"I think so," I said as I adjusted my jacket and glanced around at our team, all of whom nodded in agreement.

Luke turned to me, excitement sparkling in his eyes. "Let's do this."

How is their first duel going to go? Can they beat Beast again? How will the others react to Nate and Luke dating? Find out in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and don't forget to vote!