Zeke stepped into the waiting area, where he found most of the other candidates. He noted that the other contestants had very mixed reactions to his arrival. Something had clearly changed from the day before.
Rona, who had been amiable and friendly towards him in the past, now gave him the cold shoulder. She immediately turned away upon seeing him. Zeke was pretty sure she had heard his confession after the tournament.
Roland gave him a smile, which Zeke did not appreciate. He had not intervened in the latter's action, but that did not mean that he agreed with what the other boy had done. If he had a choice, he would not want to associate with the irritable Earth Mage ever again in his life.
The people who were welcoming were his former teammates. Lena and Edmund gave him appreciative nods, and Leo immediately made his way over to greet him.
Zeke was glad that his relationship with Leo had not turned sour. He had been worried about how yesterday's confession would affect his friend. Leo arrived before him and offered his hand for their customary high five. Zeke obliged his friend, and the two of them stood side by side, with their backs against the wall. They observed the other participants in silence for a while. Leo broke the silence first. He was not one to stay quiet for long.
"You nervous?" Leo asked. He was evidently completely at ease himself.
Zeke considered the question. He didn't think he felt nervous. There was a slight shaking in his hands. But he was pretty sure that it came from excitement more than nervousness. Honestly, he found it difficult to tell the difference between the two.
"No, merely excited to see who I'll fight first," he eventually replied.
Leo immediately started to nod emphatically, as Zeke had known he would. With clear excitement in his voice, Leo responded, "I know exactly how you feel! It's the same for me."
He paused for a moment, looking left and right, before whispering.
"I heard they brought in somebody special for the pairing," Leo exclaimed with excitement. But at the last moment, he decided not to spoil the surprise.
"Better I don't tell you any more than this. Otherwise, the surprise will be ruined!" He said, with a mischievous grin on his face.
Zeke was vexed by Leo's reticence. He absolutely hated it when people first teased him with a secret, only to not reveal it in the end. He shot Leo an annoyed sidelong glare, but the other boy only smiled wider upon seeing it. Zeke sighed, he knew he wouldn't get anything out of Leo once he had decided not to spill the beans.
He tried to talk about something else in order to distract himself. The two spent the remaining time talking about the various contestants and their specialties.
Zeke and Leo agreed immediately on whom the weakest of the remaining contestants were. It was the group of Wellenreiter siblings. The four of them had a reputation for being very well-behaved and obedient. They were pretty talented Water Mages, but not nearly strong enough to be among the top 16.
Zeke had fought against them before. Something immediately jumped out at him while fighting any of them. He would describe their battle style as textbook. They all used the same water spells similarly. It was as if they had been drilled by the same instructor since they were young. Zeke guessed that this could actually be the case, given that they were siblings.
Surprisingly, Leo was well-informed of any gossip or rumors going around. He informed Zeke that the Wellenreiter family was an offshoot of the Wellenrufer family. They had once been one and the same. The new family was created by a disgraced member who was cast out generations ago. Apparently, they had hoped to rejoin the main family again if they managed to produce sufficient results here. Zeke was certain the elders were overjoyed to have managed to advance four of their members into the finals.
After a bit more gossip with Leo, the contestants were finally called into the arena. The two exchanged a final glance before following the other contestants. They entered the arena through a giant stone gateway.
Upon stepping into the arena, he could tell that the space had undergone a transformation. The artificial terrain had been removed, and they were now standing in a standard fighting ring with a floor of sand. There were a few pillars erected throughout the arena to add some variety. Otherwise, there were no additional features. It seemed that the finals would be more in line with the conventional duels. This was exactly what they had prepared for in combat class.
The 16 contestants gathered in the middle of the arena. A moment later, the voice of the announcer echoed through the field. He immediately drew the attention of the viewers towards them. Excitement and anticipation filled the arena as the announcer took center stage.
The crowd quieted as Jorgel raised his voice. He began to introduce the contestants for the fighting tournament right away.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to one of the most highly anticipated events of the year: The finals of the Elementium tournament. Last year, we had Sophia Geistreich and Viola Windtänzer competing for the title. Today, we have 16 of the most talented fighters from all over the empire. They are all prepared to showcase their skills and battle for epic rewards.
"I am pleased to introduce you to the Wellenreiter siblings: Eva, Sabrina, Benjamin, and Matthias. These four contestants are all gifted in the element of water. They are sure to bring some excitement to the tournament! They advanced to the finals by making use of the terrain and relying on each other in the previous round.
"Emil Gluthand is one of my favorites to win. Whenever the Gluthands send a contestant, he or she is always a force to be reckoned with. Keep your eyes open for their devastating Fire Magic. It is arguably the spell with the most firepower on the True Mage level.
"Next up, we have Felix Feuerkranz, a skilled practitioner of the Fire element. He is sure to bring some heat to the competition with his fiery spirit. He has one of the highest elimination counts among all the remaining contestants.
"Karl Luftschloss is a Wind Mage known for his quick movements and agility. He announced yesterday that he will take revenge upon Ezekiel. He blames our Blood Mage for costing his half-brother Samuel the chance to compete in the finals. If there's anything I enjoy, then it's a good revenge story.
"Tanya Windspiel is another powerful Wind mage! She is known for her ability to control an area. She has proven that she can work incredibly well with a team. Today, she will have to prove that she can be just as effective on her own.
"Mila Bodenwirker is a master of the Earth element and is known for her devastating spells that have a long wind-up time. Today, we will find out if she can use her strongest weapon in a duel.
"Roland Erdherr is an Earth mage! He is known for his strength and endurance. He surprised us all yesterday with his actions toward the end of the battle. Let's find out if he will manage to take advantage of the chance he has bought himself.
"Rona Feuersturm is a Fire mage known for her explosive and intense nature. She seems to hold a grudge against Roland after his betrayal, and I hope we will see them clash in the finals!
"Edmund Steiner is a skilled Earth mage known for his ability to control the terrain in his favor. He has proven himself to be a reliable combatant with a cool head in yesterday's battles.
"Lena Wellenrufer is a Water mage known for her incredible skill with creating fog. She was instrumental in the success of her team yesterday.
"Leo, as a Fire and Earth mage, brings both raw power and unwavering strength to the tournament. His lust for battle and his incredible combat instincts make him a favorite in this tournament. He is also the only commoner in the finals!
"Katja Brennbar is our fifth and last Fire Mage. She did not have a chance to show off yet but do not look down on this talent. You all know what the Brennbar family is famous for. Once she gets going there is nothing that her flames won't burn. I anticipate great things from this young lady.
"And finally, we have Ezekiel von Hohenheim, the most versatile mage in the tournament. He wields mastery over the elements of Blood, Space, and Mind. He has shown himself to be an incredible strategist yesterday. Today, we will see how he fares in one-on-one combat.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we hope you're ready for a tournament like no other. With these talented contestants, we're sure to see some amazing displays of magic!"
After the announcer had introduced all the contestants, the crowd burst into cheers. Zeke could immediately tell that most of the contestants called out Leo's name. This did not come as a surprise to Zeke. His friend was one of the most powerful fighters on top of being a commoner. His upright and honest character was also something people could easily rally behind.
There were also a lot of people cheering for both Roland and Rona. It seemed that their conflict had sparked a hot debate among the audience. There was a very vocal group that denounced the Earth Mage and supported Rona in her quest for revenge.
But to Zeke's surprise, Roland had an almost equally large group of supporters. His fans supported Roland because they called him a pragmatist. They claimed that he only used what he had available to make the best of the situation. Zeke had not expected so many people to openly support a backstabber like Roland.
However, what surprised him even more, was that he also had a decent-sized fan base. Zeke heard his name being called from all directions. He was initially delighted that he was finally being recognized for his talents.
After listening to the calls for a while, however, Zeke discovered something strange. He could only make out female voices calling out his name, and they all sounded relatively young.
Zeke strained his ears to listen closer, determined to get to the bottom of this. After a moment, he managed to isolate some of the calls that were meant for him.
"Zeke, I love youuuuuu!"
"Die you filthy Blood Mage!"
"Zeke, look at me! LOOK AT MEEEE"
"I hope you lose, Ezekiel!"
"Ezekiel, please go out with meeeee."
"I will make you haaaaappy, Zeke!"
"Zeke, you are the perfect maaaaan!"
Zeke was bewildered by what he was hearing. It seemed his fan base was only made up of young women who had taken a liking to him. He couldn't deny that he stood out among the crowd of elemental Mages.
His daily physical training had changed his once fragile appearance. He now had the confident form of a young man. The crimson locks on his head made the more common red hair of fire mages appear pale in comparison. This only made him stand out even more.
Honestly, out of all the contestants on stage, only Leo could even compete with Ezekiel when it came to looks. Ezekiel had the appearance of a mischievous youngster. Leo's wild features and unkempt blonde mane made them too different to be easily compared.
The other boys on stage had also taken notice of Zeke's popularity with the female crowd. They were giving him dirty looks. Zeke wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry about the situation. He didn't enjoy the attention he was getting. He would have preferred to be recognized for his skills rather than his looks.
However, after considering it further, Zeke realized that the situation wasn't all that bad. Most of the other contestants, excluding Leo, Rona, and Roland, were barely getting any attention from the crowd. Zeke was clearly in fourth place when it came to popularity. Even if he wasn't being recognized for his skills yet, at least he had a fan base. The thought of ascending the stage only to be met with silence or a lukewarm response was an embarrassing one.
Before Zeke could ponder any further, a murmur went through the crowd. A figure that was covered from head to toe in black robes had stepped onto the arena floor. The announcer immediately started to clue the crowd in on what was happening.
"Let me introduce you all to our special guest! This is the famous Orion Fortuna! He comes to us from the remote kingdom of Seraven, the kingdom of Seers! We have invited him here today to help us find the optimal pairing for our finals! Mr. Fortuna is a Time Mage and a powerful seer. He has the ability to see all the possible futures and decide on the best option. He will also guarantee that our strongest two mages will not meet before the finals."
"Now, all contestants, please form up and stand in a row so that Mr. Fortuna can look into your futures."
Zeke got in line and waited for the seer to approach him. The man walked past the line of students, casually glancing at everyone as he passed by. When the man stepped up in front of Zeke, he stopped his stride for a split second and met Zeke's gaze.
The moment their eyes met, Zeke felt like the world around him had stopped. He could feel the man in front of him sizing him up and measuring him in ways that he did not fully understand. The moment seemed to stretch on forever. Zeke didn't know what he should do to escape this uncomfortable feeling.
He tried to make out the man's eyes from under his hood to distract himself. There only seemed to be a bottomless darkness where a face should be. Zeke was about to give up on making out the man's face when time started moving again.
The robed figure went on his way as if nothing had happened. But before he stepped in front of the next student, he slightly tilted his head back. This gave Zeke a brief glance at what lay beneath the shadows of his hood.
The seer had a slight smile on his face as he looked at Zeke one last time. This time he could make out a bit of blue in the man's eyes. For some reason, he felt like the man's features were somewhat familiar.
But then the moment passed, and the man broke eye contact with Zeke. He turned his gaze upon the next contestant, and then the next. Zeke could see the traces of sweat on the other contestants' faces. It seemed his experience was not unique and that the others had experienced something similar.
By the time the seer had made his way through the row of contestants, only about a minute had passed. Still, the man in the black robe took no time to contemplate. He stepped in front of a white board that was prepared to announce the pairings.
With a giant brush, he started listing the names of the contestants and their opponents. Zeke watched with bated breath, waiting for his name to appear. Finally, the man stepped back, revealing the pairings for everyone to see.
1. Emil Gluthand vs. Eva Wellenreiter.
2. Benjamin Wellenreiter vs. Leo
3. Mila Bodenwirker vs. Katja Brennbar.
4. Lena Wellenrufer vs. Felix Feuerkranz.
5. Roland Erdherr vs. Rona Feuersturm.
6. Ezekiel von Hohenheim vs. Karl Luftschloss.
7. Edmund Steiner vs. Sabrina Wellenreiter.
8. Matthias Wellenreiter vs. Tanya Windspiel.