// Chapter 37 \\

The horn blared and the three heirs sprung into action.

Izan and Bustol immediately teamed up. They ran to Mingi, surrounding him on either side. Sparks and crackles flares seemed to shine in Bustol's eyes— a certain glimmer that hadn't been there before. It had to be his powers. He took a fighting position, walking in a circle around Mingi. Izan did the same, his fighting position more sleek than Bustol's, drawing his hands out. There was no sign of what his powers could possibly be.

Mingi seemed to expect this, rotating to watch the two of them as dark silver melted rock surrounded him like a protective shield. But his jaw was clenched. He expected it, but he hated that it had actually happened. He kept himself steady, however, waiting for his two opponents to make their move first and that they did.

Izan swiftly raised his hands up and the ground shook before a large stone black slab of stone jutted out between Mingi and himself. Mingi glanced towards the rock and suddenly Bustol moved. The dazzling glitter in his eyes shooting out as red wisps, heading straight for Mingi. I couldn't believe my eyes then. Mingi was pinned between a laser of magic and a hard place. Bustol and Izan knew how to use their powers together and they were using them purposefully against Mingi.

Mingi remained calm, however, sending out a stream of the silver melted rock towards Bustol in a slashing motion. However, it was cut off immediately as the slab of rock behind him toppled and suddenly fell over towards him.

The crowd let out a series of woah's as ash rose from the thud, blocking the view of what had happened in the puff of a dark cloud. The crowd turned silent as they waited in baiting breath for that dust to clear. I was waiting with them, breath caught in my throat and I gazed on in worry. It wouldn't just end like that.

The dust cleared. Only two figures stood between a fallen slab of rock.

"No." I heard a shaky voice speak from down the line. I looked to see Leeyon's face broken, eyes shattered as tears poured from them. She hit her throne then, "No!"

But her cry was silenced by the roar of the crowd.

I looked back down to the field and clenched my jaw at what I saw. Satisfied smiles crossed both of the heirs' faces as they looked at one another. It seemed like they had all the bliss in the world for them to have to kill each other here. They'd worked together to get rid of Mingi and I couldn't help but be furious. His death didn't feel honored.

But the battle commenced. The two took to fighting each other, slabs of rock and stone against the wisps of eyes. However, no matter how many wisps dodged or rocks broken, the two didn't seem to be throwing an upper hand on the other. The crowd had diverged into less exciting cheers, obviously waiting for something more to happen.

I still felt a sting in my heart for Mingi's death, and it only grew with the sobs I'd hear from down the line of High Monarch thrones. I didn't dare to look. I knew it was Leeyon. She'd lost her almost-husband. Now, the almost-wedding meant nothing, but that didn't have her broken. She'd lost the one she loved.

After quite the long spars, the fight between Bustol and Izan grew interesting once more, sending giddy hollers through the crowd. Bustol had Izan on the run. Izan was growing exhausted, sending up slab after slab of rock to block the red wisps of Bustol's attack only to have the rocks rendered to rubble from the blast of the other's powers. Now, he was too exhausted to draw the quick energy to draw up another wall of rock. He simply ran, dodging the wisps.

Bustol had the audacity to smile, sending another blast right for Izan, and I knew by the aim it would have to hit true. The trajectory of the red wisps and fire almost reached it's target when a tear in the air opened there, absorbing the magic strain.

Bustol barely had time to blink and comprehend what he saw when another portal appeared beside him and the blast of red and fire hit him, exploding into fire at his chest. He grunted as he flew back and hit the ground with a tumble.

Out of that same portal came the man I thought had just died: Mingi. He glared towards Bustol as ashes came up from the ground and became that silvery molten rock as it hovered around him.

The crowd let out excited gasps before they were screaming in ecstatic surprise.

Yeosang latched onto my hand. I dared to look away from the battle for one moment to look at Yeosang who had gone rigid, caught off guard. I couldn't blame him as I'd been caught off guard as well, but there was a knowing look in those cyan eyes.

Apparently, Mingi had tricks up his sleeves. I hadn't been around Mingi in awhile, but I was certain I was familiar with his powers of molding and liquid rock. I had no idea he could open rifts in the world as if he were moving from Court to Court.

We weren't the only ones caught off guard, however. I looked back down to the field to see Izan surprised expressions on their faces. Bustol looked enraged as he struggled to rise from where he'd fallen. Izan hesitated, looking at Bustol. He was close enough to him to go ahead and finish the job while he was down, but he wouldn't. Not with Mingi still alive, I realized.

Mingi's glare shifted to Izan then, moving his hand up to form a spike of silver liquid before he let his hand fall and it flew into Bustol's throat. His body tensed and froze before it fell back over on the ground.

The crowd was too loud to hear anything with its newly found excitement. I couldn't help myself but to join them as a certain pride swelled in me.

Izan paled at the sight before he held his chin up and drew two rocks from the ground, lifting them into the air. Mingi drew the silver liquid around him into swords. The glare he and Mingi shared would be one for the ages.

The two collided, rushing at each other with rock both solid and melted. First, it was Mingi's liquid stone swords slashing through Izan's boulders. Then, it was Mingi taking the rock from Izan, transforming it into that silvery liquid he wielded. I cheered all along the way as I saw Izan grow weaker, resorting to towering slab over slab in the arena as he blocked Mingi's blows and seeked shelter. The slabs of rock practically formed a mountain in the middle of the arena and on top of it stood Mingi, looking down at the mountain below as liquid rock moved around him. Izan was hiding like a coward in his contraption of rock below Mingi.

Suddenly, Mingi vanished and then there was nothing from the mountain of rock within the arena. People began to murmur within the crowd after some time and I even began to shift, wondering what was happening out there. And that was when another rip in the world had opened and out came Mingi, dragging a bloodied and bruised Izan by the arm. He had beaten him and it was clear enough that Izan didn't have the efforts to fight back anymore. His body and his magic were both spent.

Mingi stopped at the top of the mountain of rocks, where he'd been before. He looked out to the crowd, letting his gaze circle around the arena. It seemed he'd come out of the place to give the crowd the final blow. His gaze lingered at the box where I was with the other High Monarchs, before he looked down to Izan and began to lift him, a portal opening in front of them.

Izan only had time to yelp before Mingi hurtled him through it. Another tear had opened high above the ground of the arena above Mingi where Izan now fell through. Mingi was quick to send liquid rock spikes of his magic hurtling up to him and Izan didn't expect it. The spikes claimed their target in the back of the head, chest, and legs. Izan arched in the sky as he fell, not even a cry leaving his lips. His body went limp before it hit the ground.

The crowd erupted in cheers and claps, hollers of joy. I gladly joined them, elated to see my friend to be the last one standing. Mingi was alive. Mingi had won.

The rips in the world disappeared and I knew I wasn't seeing things when the few red strands of Mingi's hair went black. Then he morphed and the second form of a large black timberwolf took form. It's red-orange eyes looked out to the crowd before he howled, sending the crowd into another round of cheers.

Mingi transformed back, flipping his fully black hair out of his face before he rose his arms out to the crowd and let out a cry of victory.

I looked at Yeosang then and there was a question in his eyes.

"I've never seen him use powers that tore holes in the world." I spoke over the crowd.

Yeosang's gaze went back to Mingi in the arena before he combed the pink curls out of his face, cursing, "Thorns."

We both knew. The Jumper. Song Mingi was a Crescent Wielder and he'd just revealed it to the entire crowd.

REMEMBER:​​​​​​

1. Smack dat butiful star

2. Leave a comment talkin abt dis tea

3. Share dis tea induced book with yo fwends

WHY? Because I appreciate it 🥺

\\ See u in the next chapter! \\