Covering oneself with mana was the hallmark of a true spellsword, bestowing the user with speed, agility, and strength that surpassed the limits of just using buff spells. It required precise control over one’s mana lest it use up too much of it, a control which Athra currently did not possess. He simply lacked the amount of experience to be precise in his control of his own mana after the drastic increase in his reserves over the last century. This meant that he’d be burning through his reserves quite fast and had to end things quickly if he didn’t want to risk showing his transformation, he knew he had a few minutes at most.

Athra dashed forward with a speed outmatching his earlier display, making the trio even more alert. The bastard sword slashed vertically at Tyrian. Two curved swords met the blade, only slowing it down enough for Tyrian to react. His long sword replaced the two scimitars, letting Thalia go on the offensive. Athra withdrew his sword as he danced around the twin blades slashing at him in rapid succession. The previously overwhelming speed of the attacks now seemed easy to see through for him, allowing him to counter when the opportunity to parry presented itself. The three blades met in the air, Athra using his strength drew closer and used his free hand to land a jab on Thalia’s stomach, making her reel from the impact. The bastard sword swung towards the distracted woman. Tyrian rushed to meet the blade with his own. Athra smiled as Tyrian left himself defenseless and acted rashly against the feint. Before anyone could react, the axis of the blade changed as Athra spun around, pivoting on his right leg. The blade landed on Tyrian’s neck, taking the auburn haired man out of the fight. 

In the distance, Thalon reacted as fast as he could and sent a few ‘fire bolt’s targeting Athra as his companion fell down. He knew he and his sister just needed to prolong the fight until Athra tired himself out, he knew the technique Athra was using and its limitations to a degree. 

Athra countered the ‘fire bolt’s by thickening the mana swirling around him enough to shield him from the bolts. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Thalia regain her posture. Soon the two were once again dancing with their blades, while Thalon assisted from a distance whenever his sister seemed to be in danger or when Athra looked to be using spells. A role he was forced to undertake as he knew he couldn’t match the two in sword play and would only hinder his sister. The dance seemed to last forever, even though it had lasted merely a minute. Athra could tell he was already reaching his limits. He smiled at his dance partner, appreciating the beauty in her fluid movements in this intricate choreography of theirs. He started casting spell after spell until he knew he would risk transforming, challenging Thalon to a duel of mana reserves. 

Thalon took the duel head on, knowing full well even if he didn’t win, he could definitely exhaust Athra’s reserves and allow his sister to end it. After a few very high level spells, he had reached his limit after all, he had been countering the prince for the entirety of the fight. The next couple of spells were ironically a few ‘fire bolt’s aimed at him, chuckling inwardly he took the hits as he was too exhausted to dodge.

With her brother out of the fight as well as Tyrian, a slight frown appeared on Thalia’s face. However, she was too engrossed in her moment with Athra to care too much. She just wanted to best the prince and now thanks to her brother exhausting him, she truly had the upper hand.

Athra had slowed down significantly as his mana reserves neared to running on empty, he was now fighting once again relying on haste and foresight. However, the physical exhaustion from using so much mana in a quick fashion was weighing down his movements. It did not take too long for the comparably less tired Thalia to start overwhelming him with her speed, it was simply becoming too hard to keep up with endless swipes of her swords. Soon with a sigh he resigned to his fate as one of the swords snuck past his defenses despite his best attempts, he had the bittersweet feeling of losing while being proud of the team work and talent showcased by the rest of his team.

The magic arena became undone with Thalia, the sole victor, being the only one standing up. The other training fights were not done from what she could tell as no one but the teacher was visible, which made sense as none of the others trained in the manner her team did. She walked towards her brother with a smile on her face, which was brought upon by victory.

“We won brother.” Thalia said as she helped her brother get up.

“That’s good, but it took all three of us working together. Even then it was a close fight, I am not sure if we would be victorious if he gets more proficient with the spellsword technique.” Thalon answered as he accepted the helping hand of his sister.

“Well, it’s not as if we’ll not be improving along. When Tyrian manages to better utilize his own mana and stops relying on you as much as he currently does, things will be a lot easier.” Said Thalia

“That is true, we just need to make sure we train the spellsword technique soon to keep up with him” Thalon replied as he eyed Athra who was currently in the process of getting up.

Tyrian, who had joined the duo earlier, nodded in agreement. He knew he was the current bottleneck of the group, but with their training getting upgraded to involving spells in practice, he was hopeful that with Athra’s guidance he would soon stop being that.

The trio were experiencing the bittersweet sensation of beating a formidable opponent, with the knowledge that in a one-on-one battle, none of them would have won.

Athra made his way towards his team, proud of their teamwork but upset over the loss he had suffered. The only solace his wounded pride could find was due to it being a three-on-one fight and him not being able to use all his strength. Something that kept him pondering on how much longer he could keep it hidden. He knew the day would come when his people would find out the truth, and the fear of their reaction kept gnawing at him. Despite his inner turmoil, he kept his outward composure as he joined the trio.

“It’s almost as if you three had practiced fighting me together, without even knowing if there would be any need for it. Do you guys resent me so much?“ Athra spoke in a tone that portrayed him as if he was hurt by their actions.

While the two men picked up on it, Thalia for some peculiar reason had failed to do so and in a panic she said:

“Of course not, my prince, we just thought it would be inevitable when the training regiment shifted more towards spellsword play from just merely using weapons.” 

Her flustered tone made Thalon raise an eyebrow, he hadn’t thought his sister would still continue on the path she was treading on despite his warnings.

The same tone took Athra by surprise and made him chuckle inwardly. He didn’t know why she had failed to pick up on his sarcastic tone, but he found it amusing. Therefore, he decided to continue on messing with her.

“I see, so you thought fighting me was a necessity and even practiced for it as a team. Even going as far as excluding your team leader from it, or am I not considered that anymore for you guys? Perhaps you no longer see me as nothing but a foe to best.” The sarcasm in his voice was even easier to notice than his prior words, enough for everyone to pick up on it this time.

Realizing she was being made fun of, Thalia’s face reddened with embarrassment and frustration. However, she couldn’t offer any retort except pouting, something which made her brother sigh and Athra chuckle even more.

As the young Ira interacted with one another, unbeknownst to them, their teacher had started to approach them. Wanting to give her feedback as quickly as possible and be done before the rest of the fights were over, her steps were hurried. Within a few moments, she had joined the group. To make sure she had their attention, she cleared her throat loudly.

“You've shown promise, but there's room for improvement," She began, eyeing each of them carefully. 

"Athra, your spellsword technique is formidable for your age, but don't let it get to your head and become overly reliant on it. You still have a long way to go, so don’t forget to practice. Thalia, your agility is an asset, but refine your defensive maneuvers so that you don’t become overly reliant on foresight, only then can you take the next step and work on spellsword techniques. Thalon, your judgement on when to counter spells and when to intervene was impeccable. However, you can not progress yourself if all you practice is supporting your teammates. I recommend refining your own swordplay and incorporating more offensive spells into your fighting. As for you Tyrian, I believe you already know the criticism I am about to give, but I still need to give it. You need to work on being self-reliant when it comes to spell casting." She finished giving her feedback. When her students nodded in understanding, she with a satisfied smile on her face took her leave.

Their teacher was a seasoned spellsword master, so they took her words to heart. Her constructive feedback echoed in their minds, forming a roadmap for each of their continued growth. Athra focused on helping Tyrian with his spell casting by casting simple spells with him as the party chatted among themselves while waiting for the others’ fights to end and for the class to be dismissed.