A Stroke Of Originality

Zeva wrapped her face as she entered the Magic Stadium. She knew getting caught would get her in a lot of trouble, but she had something to prove to her family. She didn’t want to follow their traditions, she wanted to fight in the tournaments against some of the most powerful people in the world. Zeva had been to the stadium numerous times, but never as a participant. Waiting in line, a man nudged his way to the front of the line to sign his name.

“Hey, there’s a line here.” Zeva sneered.

The man turned to her, a grin from ear to ear.

“You’re right, how dare I cut. You go right ahead, princess.” He smirked.

Zeva hesitated, was it that obvious that she was the princess of Ryzol. She cautiously took a step towards the sign-in sheet. Welcomed by a sharp pain in her back, she was sent crashing into a distant wall. Trying to shake it off, she looked up to see a dragon circling the man’s body as it stared at her. Rage burned in her eyes as she stood up, summoning her magic.

“Oh, you must not know who I am. Rookie, this will be fun.” He assured her, as his eyes began to burn.

Summoning a second dragon around his arm, the man slowly walked towards Zeva. She began to shake with anticipation. This is what she wanted. This is what she liked.

“Last time I checked Toro, and whomever you are Ms., the rules state. There is to be no fighting among applicants, and no magic use during sanctuary hours.” The Enforcer said as he stepped in between them.

They both dispelled their magic with haste.

“I’m just roughing the newbie up, let her know she’s still an amateur.” Toro laughed.

The Enforcer gave him a grim look, and the laughing stopped.

“Why don’t you enter one of the tournaments one day?” Toro asked.

The Enforcer ignored him and walked towards Zeva.

“Looks like he got you good, you might want to clean that up.” He encouraged when he noticed the blood on her back.

Zeva’s eyes widened at the sight of her brother. She put her head down, hoping he wouldn’t know it’s her. Giving an unnatural nod, she rushed out of his sight and back in line. Toro glared at her as he walked back from signing his name.

“Maybe next time, we can have it out.” he laughed.

Even if she had to catch him in the middle of the desert, they were going to have their match, she thought as she smiled back.
After signing a fake name, Zeva was assigned to her quarters to await further instructions. Hours went by before she received her notification.

Meet at the arena in thirty minutes, do not be late.

Arriving at the arena, she assumed her opponent was going to be late. The timer on top of the area had hit zero, and still, no one was there. She didn’t think her first victory would be by default. In fact, she hated the thought of it.

“Welcome, newcomers! Your match will start when the flare explodes. Remember, if you feel like your opponent is too much to handle, you can always surrender. Good luck, and don’t fall out of the ring!” The announcer suggested.

Zeva was confused, there was no one standing in the arena with her. The flare exploded, and immediately something pushed her to the edge of the ring, almost knocking her out.
She tried to stay calm like her brother had taught her, but how could she fight an enemy that couldn’t be seen. After being knocked around, she glanced up and noticed her brother watching the match. Zeva would rather die than to lose her very first match while her brother attended. The gears in her brain started turning, and finally, she had an idea.
Using her magic, she thrust herself as far as she could into the air. On her decent, she summoned a massive whirlpool, covering the whole arena. Next, Zeva channeled frost at her feet before she landed. The water completely froze as her feet graced its presence. At the snap of her fingers, the ice shattered just as quickly as it froze. Finally, Zeva saw her assailant. He was rendered unconscious and defeated. The crowd erupted in cheers as she officially claimed her first win. Through all the chaos, she looked up, staring at her brother, who let a smile slip. Maybe he knew who she was already. Even so, Zeva wasn’t going to stop. This was just the beginning, she’s aiming for the top