A challenge of artistic style? A grin formed on her lips as the calculations of what she could do came to her mind. For this perhaps she would do something a bit more beautiful than usual. There was a shimmer of inspiration in her mind as she waited for her turn to enter the arena.

Her body transformed back into her original small petite form. She would need it for the story she was about to tell. Over her body draped a large starry cloak, it was obvious she was drowning in something underneath but it was all for the purpose of the show. Her red eyes flickered out to the crowd as her boots clicked against the stage, as she moved the arena began to darken. All of the magic she stored up would be unleashed in this moment.

Candles appeared and she shot fire out to light them up. When the darkness exploded with flickering candle light she was bowed to the crowd and three items sat at her feet. A violin, bucket of water, and a giant pile of sparkling stardust. Taking a handful of the dust she blew and it swirled up around her and formed an almost perfect crescent moon above, it sparkled in the fake darkness.

The small Moon Elf took the bucket of water and splashed it around the stage. The magic that she whispered began to form light fog at her feet and some of the water drop lets began to suspend themselves in the air. Taking the cloth she began to snap it like a dirty rug to the wind.

The dust floated up into the air as it was illuminated by her light. In her native tongue it formed “My Story” and beneath it, as an ode to the host, the words were translated into common.

Bringing the violin up to her neck she began to draw the bow across the delicate strings. A gentle wind swept the stage as the dust letters began to scatter like starlight across the stage.

The first few notes were slow and steady but within a few moments, a sudden rainbow light sparked from it like a waterfall of color. It began to form shapes done in stained glass light. The story began with a slow melodic tone as the light formed a village with many figures. Two of them stood out with brightly colored light. The two figures were being married even though they had the shape of children. The song led into a life of happiness as it showed all of their hard work but it was clear from the way the pictures became lifelike that the man and woman were more friends than lovers.

The music changed to a sad tune as the woman was over their bed. He laid dying and the skies above the arena let lose tear drops of rain but not many, it was a hold back of emotions. A forced smile in the darkness. The woman mouthed something to the man and he smiled before his final breath.

The lights all except the woman changed to more grayish tones but still, she remained vibrant in rainbow color. The tone became fast as the wind swept all the other lights away. A purple and gold figure was introduced to the rainbow woman. He was taller than everyone else in the village, oddly a human feel. The woman fell in love with the man and they had an intimate moment.

Once more the tone began to change and the man’s color began to turn blacker than the night around them. The rainbow woman was seen throwing something at him. The music changed to reflect this, it was angry hissing noises that still carried a sad tone.

Suddenly the tone was upbeat and hissing as the scene changed to an auction stage with the rainbow woman on it. Several of her people were around her and it appeared they were selling her to the man who was once her special someone. The figures became just as dark as the man’s.

Sorrow came from the strings of the violin as the images were bathed in red. The rainbow woman was now coated in deep red over the rainbow light of her soul as red colored water fell from the skies above. Bodies were around her now. A severed head of purple and gold now in her clutches.

Jolliness and happiness began to play as a crimson figure stepped from off the arena. It was like a predator stalking its prey as he came to the rainbow woman. He held his hand out to her and she joyously took it. The scene got swept away by the wind once more and the two figures appeared on the bed.

The moon up in the sky began to go dark and set lightning down to the rainbow woman to represent the pain the moon curse caused. The rainbow woman was screaming in pain and the crimson man held her close. His lips met the woman’s neck and slowly the rainbow light became corrupted. The color spilled out onto the floor of the arena as crimson color filled the woman’s silhouette. At this time Celeste’s eyes light up their brilliant crimson.

The figures disappeared and the rainbow liquid began to corrupt to a lake of crimson as three figures began to walk across the stage. Two women and a man. The stardust formed a date of sort and the date began to escalate as it represented the time that the trio had been together.

The violin began to slow and Celeste began to choke up as the imagery began to mess up but she shook the tears as the sky began to cry too. Many graves appeared on the arena grounds as Celeste regained her composure. In the arms of the small crimson woman was a small rainbow body. The man was digging a grave as they buried yet another child from their failed union. In the background as that scene swept away the time continued to pass.

The small crimson woman sat in an empty nursery filled with cobwebs and the crib had decayed with time. There was shock on the woman’s face as a tall rainbow woman came into the picture. The time stopped at a few weeks from before the date of the challenge Adraejen gave the mages. Celeste’s body began to grow as the cloak ripped off of her. Her new beautiful frown, her adult form was there now in a startling glowing dress of rainbow light, faerie fire.

Lowering the violin the Moon Elf opened her lips and an opera song came from her lips for but only a few lines as the hair of the rainbow figure turned crimson. “And the Redhead Devil came to me.” An ode to Adraejen’s wife.

Above the figure of Angela appeared an image of the crimson woman holding a rainbow baby in her new form she had with the crimson man. A happy family, a chance to have what they did. She raised the violin and played a fast paced jolly music as the scene disappeared and wolves of stardust began to run across the stage. Above Celeste in multi-colored light was the title both in Moon Elf and Common. She ended the song and bowed as everything hit the stage and the darkness faded away to the brilliant day light.

“And the wolves my love will come…” She sang before the violin disappeared from her hands. Crimson eyes looked up at Adraejen with a smile before she left having told a two thousand year long story in the span of minutes. Celeste now weary moved to go sleep in a dark corner of the arena, her footing even beginning to stumble from the amount of mana she had consumed even with the help of her Anima Ring.

Spells Used:
Summon Item
Water Weaving
Light Weaving
Wind Weaving
Galvanic Weaving
Incognito
Parvpora’s Sight
Minor Telekinesis
Midnight Terror
Earth Weaving
Lightning Strike
Arcane Empower
Holy Lightning
Faerie Fire
Fire Ball
Animate Object
Shadow Weaving
Sunburst
Fire Weaving
Ice Weaving

Shivering with excitement, Myouga nearly tripped on the way up the stage. She stood before the crowd, with her back facing the audience. With a snap of her fingers, a blinding burst of light flared and she swiveled towards the crowd, with her favorite hannya mask on her face. Throwing her arms out wide, she spoke as loudly as she could in her best carnival barker impersonation.

“Ladies and gentlemen, ghouls and ghosts, orcs and goblins—and everyone in between! Today you’re in a real treat, a grand spectacle of a show! What’s that you say? You don’t see anything? Well hold on to your hats kids, and welcome the Great and Magnificent Myouga’s Sideshow of Curiosities!”

Giving herself a round of applause, she made a grandiose sweep of the hand and vanished into thin air. Then, sparks and light showered the stage as she reappeared in the center with her mask gone. Bowing after her self-introduction, she pulled out her wand and began holding it in her hand as a pointer. “Greetings and bienvenue! I hope you’re all ready for today’s show! Now, for my first act I’ll need the help of a few lovely assistants! Everyone say hello to our guest performers: Ryokuto and Himawari!”

With a wave and wiggle of her fingers, a portal swirled into existence on stage. Out from the portal’s vortex of magical energies emerged an emerald green wyvern and what looked like a walking sunflower. The wyvern flapped his wings and took flight, spiraling high into the air before artfully diving down to a gentle landing on the mage’s shoulder. The walking flower gave a bow bending over its stem and walked to its owner’s side. Grandly motioning to the audience, the small oni declared with confidence. “Behold! The Troubadour’s Flora! Native to Apoy, and the perfect companion for all your a cappella needs! It can dance! It can sing! It can even sing vocals in a duet! But wait, there’s more! Who can forget our second participant here? Feast your eyes on the slightly less rare pseudo-wyvern! Ever wanted a dragon without having to go into the poorhouse to care for it? Then look no further! Growing the size of a large house cat, the pseudo-wyvern is the perfect choice for those who want the regal majesty of a drake with limited living space!”

Waiting for the audience’s cheers and hollers to die down, she continued flashing a beaming smile. “Now we’re going to start off with something simple, a little warm-up. Nothing too special, just a little game of tennis.” Pulling out a pair of mirrors, she tossed one to Ryokuto which he caught by the handle in his talons. “Alright little buddy, we’re gonna play a game. I’m going to throw a ball and you try to catch it with that paddle of yours. Ready? Here goes!”

They moved to the opposite ends of the stage and she created a ball of fire in her hand, tossing up upward and hitting it with the mirror. As soon as the fireball touched the mirror’s surface, it went through and came out of the other mirror held by the wyvern—hurtling towards her. Swinging, she ‘hit’ the fireball again and her scaled friend moved from side to side creating the illusion of them playing tennis with a fireball. After a few passes she snapped her fingers and the ball of flame fizzled.

“Whew! What a workout! Did you like that? Well there’s more where that came from! Music!” Pointing at the walking sunflower, it began to sing the notes of a popular jingle played by traveling circus performers while gyrating its roots and leaves in rhythm. As the background music was going, Myouga conjured a fireball, an ice ball, and a ball of mud in that order. She proceeded to juggle them while her wyvern flew off stage. She then conjured up her mask, a spell book, and some potions to add to the mix. Tossing them all up in the air, she proceeded to teleport in rapid succession catching each of the items and canceling out the falling spells with a block from her magic shield.

“But we’re not done yet folks!” She cried, as the song from the dancing sunflower was reaching its crescendo. “And now for the finale!” Putting her hands together to make a shadow puppet of a dog, the shadows cast onto the floor rose and took the shape of three hounds which started running in a circle around the arcanist. Taking her wand, she got their attention and shouted: “One, two, three! Hup! Hup! Hup!” The shadow dogs then made a single file line and jumped over her, one after the other. She then bent down and pretended to pat them on the head while they wagged their tails.

“Good doggies! Oh you’re such cute little smarties aren’t you? Alright, now let’s do a back flip! One, two—Hup!” With the flick of her wrist, all of them did back flips into the air, turning back into regular shadows as soon as they landed. As the singing sunflower’s song came to a close, Myouga cast protection on herself, and did a little twirl before clicking her heels together in the air with the aid of a little levitation. When both of her feet were back on the ground, her eyes glowed viridian as she called down bolts of lightning onto the stage. With the bolts striking in perfect timing, she triumphantly shouted: “TA-DAAAA!!!!” Her arms and legs feeling like lead, she kept a big grin plastered on her face as she breathed heavily. She hadn't felt this winded from using magic since…forever! Having given it her all, Myouga went down the stage accompanied by her two pets.

Spells Used:

• Sunburst
• Invisibility
• Gate Travel
• Fireball
• Mass Dispel
• Frost Ball
• Mud Ball
• Summon Item
• Teleport
• Shadow Cast
• Protection
• Minor Levitation
• Chain Lightning

Jesgil stood backstage, holding her breath and swallowing the air stuck in her throat. The previous performances were very standout and flashy. They were difficult acts to follow up. However, she had to and took the brave steps forward into the center of it all. Awaiting the crowd to silence, she readied her mind to be ready for what was to come. As long as I can stay in control, I should be fine… she tried to reassure herself as the realm around her grew silent.

"Awaken, my blood, and grant me your power," she chanted with dragon's tongue, "May you heed your strength to me and offering me your blessings for the upcoming battle. May your ice and blessing grant me strength." As her voice echoed though the region, the skin around her entire body began to radiate blue, the energy shifting the air enough to make her maid outfit ripple. However, underneath the skin, another force began to push out. Her skin became rigid with scales forming underneath, pushing out from underneath as if to break the skin itself while it held them inside vacuum sealed. Once her skin stopped shifting, she took in a deep breath once more to calm herself, yet the exhale gave off a bit of a mist of frost.

Holding her arms out, the palms of her hands began to glow as a wooden material began to form out of it. They were quick to meld together to forge a handle before steel protruded from the ends, granting her a battle axe to use. "Hello, my sweet Tillan," she told the axe, brushing the side of the blade as if polishing it, "I will need your assistance today," before turning it over and resting the axe head on the ground, letting the shaft rest upwards. Then, moving her hand to the very tip, she moved her hands around it as frost expelled from her hands  to forge it into a ball tip before holding her hands underneath, cupping it before firing off jets of ice upwards. She focused on having the ice stick and grow together, before using her glowing hands to reform the ice into a sharp, thick icicle.

"Like this, ice can be very dangerous," Jesgil stated, lifting the weapon up. "Difficult to tread, saps people of their heat, and can form major blocks and spears of ice that can easily take a life. And yet, we cannot help but be admired by it. Why is that?" Flipping the weapon over, she stabbed the ice spike into the earth before again blasting ice at the ground to help fortify her weapon's position before taking in a deep breath and exhaling a wave of ice upon the axe head, covering it up with a thin layer of ice all around before doing shall touch up breaths to thicken the centers of the side while using her hands to clean off the edges.

Holding her hands out around the head, her hands began to radiate around the ice before working to pull the ice off of her base. The thinner ends that covered the blade parts broke off first before the thicker bases that went through the handle came off, though because of it, it was now as if she held two winged beasts of ice before encasing them in a soft golden glow. With her flying ice beasts binded by her hands, she let them fly through the air, shinning in the light of the sun and the flames that lit the stage.

"It is because when the ice is manageable, it becomes beautiful like a prism. Its unique shimmer can be quite dazzling and entrancing, especially to those who have yet to experience them. However, they are also quite frail and can only last for so long, so it is enjoyed while it can be." Sending them back to her side, she let the two ice creations fall and shatter like glass. "Ice is dangerous, bt beautiful. It can all depend on who views it as such." Holding her hand out to her weapon, she returned it back to her pocket dimension before having her skin shift back to normal, Jesgil being sure to give a long bow to her audience before stepping off the stage.

Spell list:
Mystic Polymorph
Arcane Empower
Summon Item
Frost Ball
Ice Strike
Ice Weaving
Ice Breath
Protection

The heart thundered in her chest as she made her way into the arena. This would be the hardest challenge for her. She was well-known for her skills and she needed to show that she was strong in her own right. Her parents taught her better than to shy away from a challenge. They were both powerful in their own rights. She wanted to make them proud. No, she would make them proud.

Rhea walked out into the arena, giving a curtsy towards the crowd. She wore one of her favorite dresses with the colors of blue and purple dancing along the skirt. She kept her curls loose around her. She wanted to look beautiful, not for the crowd but for herself. She felt stronger when she was dressed in her favorite clothing. There was a moment of fear that drifted across her features before it was masked with her normal smirk. “Good day! Let me show you a story. There will be no words only the sound of music from this very lute." She held out the beautiful lute crafted long ago by her hands. The lute itself would help bring on the feeling of peace and love, but she wanted the act to truly portray everything. She knew well that her voice would not be useful in this act. It would not show her power of magic if she used her given talent.

”There is one last thing I shall need and the magic can begin.” Her eyes began to glow vibrant green as she held her empty hand out and a small canteen materialized. This would be all the extra water she needed. There was enough water in the air to create what she wished. A little could go a long way. Resting the canteen on the ground, she slid her eyes closed and began to play the lute softly.

The water from the lute began to draw up into the air taking the form of a small dragon taking flight into the air. The little dragon flew above and around the cloud and then back into the arena to dance around the master and disappearing into the air. The wind began to pick up around the arena creating forms in the air twisting with the. The wind twisted around until it became the figure of a woman with a long flowing dress. The figure in the wind drifted around dancing to the tranquil music of the lute against the sandy floor.

At first, she danced alone, twisting and twirling across the sky with one holding up the edge of her dress for her feet to be seen. Water began to take shape again in the air; more than before as the water was weaved from the wind. It created a shadow to the woman helping her become more lifelike to the eyes. There was a sadness that echoed from the lute at the woman dancing alone but began to softly grow happier and quicker.

In the air, a new figure was weaved out of wind and water. A figure of a man and he tapped his finger on her shoulder. Rhea let her fingers rest on the lute and her eyes opened again to stare up at the scene. The woman turned to look at the man and a smile of water crossed her lips as she took her hand in his. The woman actually rested a little taller than the gentlemen but they began to dance and swing to the music that no longer existed. Wings sprouted from the man’s back and they began to float around the arena twirling with each smooth step.

Rhea let off a small smile as she began to play the lute again. She let the music grow stronger and let the effect of the lute grow stronger tied in with her own skill. The couple began to dance faster in line with the quickness of the music until it the lute stopped suddenly. Silence hit the arena once more as the woman suddenly pulled away. She began to fall from where she was as if she were really there. Without the wings, she could not fly like the male could. The male quickly went after her but before he could grab her, she hit the ground below disappearing like the puff of air she was.

The man landed on the ground falling on all fours hands pressed into the sand. Unknown to him, a figure took shape behind him of water and wind. The woman reappeared resting her hand softly on his back, causing the man to look behind him. At that point, Rhea began to softly pluck at the strings of her lute as the man rushed to stand and hold the woman in his arms. They kissed and then began to drift back into their separate elements. The water-weaved dragon appearing once again to fly back into the canteen. She played the lute for another moment before slowing completely to a final end.

With a deep breath, Rhea’s eyes drifted back to the soft hazel that they natural were and she took a bow in front of the crowd. She knew it would not be as flashy but she believed that the true talent was in the story and ability to use your strengths. She did not need a lot of spells to wow her crowd. She just needed the technology to give them something breathtaking. With a curtsy to the crowd, she picked her canteen up and exited the arena. Only time would tell now.


Abilities used:

Summon item
Lute of Tranquility
Water Weaving
Wind Weaving

Ernest stood in the center of the arena and looked up at the crowd. Her hands shook slightly – she had never tried to do magic in front of so many people. It made her nervous. In a way, it was almost worse than the labyrinth, because now she could see the crowd’s reaction to everything she did.

She closed her eyes for a second and in a flash, she was somewhere else, lights shining around her. But it was the wrong somewhere else. She had teleported herself up into the stands. The crowd laughed, and Ernest went beet red. There was another flash, and she was standing in the middle of the arena again. She sighed. 

“Let’s try that again,” she said quietly to herself. She closed her eyes and there was another flash of light. 

She ended up exactly the opposite of where she wanted – about five feet backward. Trying to get her bearings, she tripped over a gap in the flagstones and fell over. The crowd laughed again. Ernest looked down at her hands, which had started glowing from the magic. Why was nothing working today? She walked back to her place in the center of the arena once more. 

“Alright,” she said. “Let’s do this properly this time.” She stared up at the crowd, not daring to close her eyes this time, and concentrated.

She found herself five feet up in the air, and only had a second to process this before she fell to the ground, landing hard on her back. She sat up, slowly, but lost the energy to get up any further. Nothing worked. Why should she try again? She would only fail, and she would lose the contest either way.

“I am a fool,” she said softly, but her words echoed throughout the arena, which had fallen silent. “Why did I come here?” She closed her eyes, rested her head on her knees, and cried, her sobs echoing as her words had.

After a few seconds, she realized that no one had dismissed her, or told her to go away. She looked up to see the crowd still looking at her. What were they waiting for? She had no idea.

After another moment, the answer occurred to her. “You want to know. Why I came here,” she said softly. She hung her head. “So do I. But I will tell you the story, and perhaps we can find out together.” 

Still sitting curled up, not looking at the audience, she began her story, very slowly. “Once upon a time,” she said, “there was a little girl who lived in a cottage at the edge of a small village.” 

Unbeknownst to Ernest, as she spoke, her magic did something of its own. The light shining from her palms formed into the shape of a young girl. She was perhaps ten or eleven, with short black hair, and she walked into the air as the cottage Ernest spoke of appeared above her.

“The little girl lived with her mother and her uncle, and she was very happy. Her uncle was an explorer, and he promised her an island, which she could find someday.”

The light shaped two more figures, a woman with long dark hair, and a man with a greyish beard, and they joined the little girl by the cottage. The man seemed to laugh, and ruffled the little girl’s hair. She smiled up at him happily.

“They lived there for several years before disaster struck. The little girl’s mother and uncle were both struck with deathfever, and did not survive.”

The woman and man of light shimmered and dissolved into a grey shimmer that floated in the air for a few seconds before disappearing. The little girl sat on the ground and cried. 

“So the little girl decided that she would go look for the island her uncle had promised her. She had always wanted to be an explorer like he had been, and the idea made her very happy. So she packed her bags and left the little village.”

The light girl stood up and took a few things from inside the house, before waving and walking into the air. The little house shrank, and floated a few feet down, settling a few feet above Ernest’s head. 

“But the little girl didn’t find it as easy to survive as she’d thought. She was forced to make a living in a world that didn’t care about her, and she grew to be closed-off and hard.”

A village formed out of light, and the little girl walked up to it and knocked on a door. She appeared to be speaking to the people within. The door slammed in her face and she stared at it for a second. Then she walked away. As she walked down the street, she saw a pie baking on the windowsill, and stared for a moment before reaching out and snatching it. A second later, a man stepped out of the house, waving a rolling pin and appearing to be yelling. The girl turned and ran, and the man ran after her.

The world changed. The girl grew, and aged, until she looked almost as old as Ernest, and almost identical. The man with the rolling pin turned into a city guard with a sword, and the ground beneath them changed to rooftops. Still the girl kept running, until she got out of the man’s sight, and he slowly shimmered away. The girl sat behind a building and ate what was left of the pie she had stolen.

“One day, something incredible happened to the girl.” Ernest no longer called her little. “When the girl got lost and was trying to find somewhere safe, she met a woman who said she was a healer, and the girl agreed to help her. But the woman wasn’t just a healer. She was a goddess, and she taught the girl how to do magic.”

The light formed a woman who looked just like Angela, with long red hair and a graceful smile. She took the girl’s hands, and the girl stared in wonder as the air around them lit up with magic.

“The girl loved her magic, and it made her much happier and more confident. She was less afraid to be a good person, because she had a way to save herself if she needed.” 

A soldier appeared out of light as the goddess shimmered away. The soldier was wounded, and lay on his back. The girl reached down and touched his shoulder, and her hands lit up as his wound disappeared. 

“The girl was very happy because of her talent, and it made her proud of herself. She felt like she was good at something, and so when she heard that a god was hosting a contest, she decided to compete.”

The girl walked up to a gate that formed out of the light and knocked on it, and a figure looking like Drae opened the gate and smiled at her.

“The girl did very well in the first part of the contest and that made her even happier. She felt like she could do something impressive, and she felt confident in her abilities.”

The girl made of light ran through a dark maze and emerged into the sunlight, smiling.

“But in the second part of the contest, the girl failed at everything she tried. She did her best, but it didn’t matter. The contest that she had thought would truly show her that she was powerful showed her the truth. The truth was that she was a failure.”

The girl, to everyone’s surprise, did not curl up and start crying like Ernest had. Instead, she stood there, looking down at Ernest, as if waiting for something. 

Ernest sighed, and stood up slowly, opening her eyes. And she gasped.

Standing in the air above her, that the audience had seen but she had not, were the images. Her whole life, spread out before her in the air, and herself, looking back at her as if saying, “What next?” 

Ernest stared at the images for a second. She had to be imagining this. But she wasn’t. They were really there. She had made something happen, after all. Looking at them, she took a deep breath and continued her story.

“But then, just when she thought all was lost, something happened. Her magic came back. The girl had always had power, and she used it. Not in the way she expected, but in a way that was true. And she found the truth about herself after all. And that truly made her happy.”

Ernest extended her hand into the air and the light girl walked down it, and they both bowed together. Then the girl sat down on Ernest’s shoulder and rested her head against Ernest’s neck, and slowly dissolved into nothing with the rest of the images.

Ernest turned to address the crowd. “Thank you,” she said. “For everything.” And she turned and walked off the stage, leaving the arena behind.

Spells Used:
Teleport
Light Weaving