Before Iris' Accident and Injury

“Iris, you can do this!!” screamed Lisha on the sidelines.

“Alright everyone, it’s the final event in The Village Olympics!” called an announcer carvatian. “It’s the one-on-one duel!”

A few dozen carvatians cheered and Iris started walking onto a large stone circle. Easily the size of a house. She saw another female carvatian walking into the arena. She had light blue hair and had on human exercise gear.

“We have Iris against Moon!” bellowed the announcer. “Let it be a fair duel!”

“Let’s have some fun,” smiled Iris, popping her knuckles.

“I’m sure we will,” Moon said, returning the smile and standing herself like a wrestler.

“And let the match… BEGIN!”

Immediately, the two began to circle each other, each trying to get a feel on the other. That is, until Iris smirked and held out her hand.

“Now you see me,” She made a gesture and whispered some words, then her entire form rippled in the sunlight until nothing was there. “Now you don’t.”

The entire crowd awed at the spectacle and expertise of the spell. Moon kept her stance and shuffled around. After taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she whipped around and grabbed the air. Her form of Iris reappeared as she was thrown over Moon’s shoulder. Smoothly, Iris took flight before hitting the ground.

Laughing and giggling, she circled Moon in the air like a vulture. Then slowly, one Iris became two, then four, then eight, until the sky above Moon was filled with a few dozen Iris’s laughing at her. 

Moon took flight and soared right through one of them, making the illusion fade. Once she was in the middle of the cloud of doppelgängers, she shouted some words and gestured all around her. Suddenly, all of the illusions disappeared, and the one true Iris began to fall. She was trying to fly but her wings just flapped uselessly, like there was no magic left. Before she hit the ground, Moon swooped in and grabbed her, but tossed her out of the stone circle, leaving Iris the loser.

“And just like that for the eleventh tournament in a row, Moon is the winner!” cheered the announcer, and the crowd erupted into voices.

“Well, I thought you almost had her.” Lisha said, patting Iris on the back. “What happened anyway?”

“I don’t know…” Iris said, struggling but unable to force out any magic. “She did something to me I think…”

“Here,” Moon said, walking up to them both. She put a hand on Iris’ back, mumbled some words, and then retracted it. “Better?”

“I think so.” Iris flapped her wings, and hovered a bit off the ground. “How did you do that?”

“I just blocked your magic. I don’t do it a lot because it’s dangerous, but I wasn’t looking through all those clones.” She turned away to go get her award, but gave a glance back. “Oh, but your spells were pretty good. I think if it was anyone but me, you might’ve beaten them.”

Moon flew away to receive her congratulations, leaving the two sisters in the dust.

“I’d date.” Lisha said, nodding.

“Shut up!” Iris laughed, pushing her.