Chapter 10: The First Duel

Lena and Jasmin woke up to the sound of rain still pouring outside, the rhythm of the drops against the windowpane creating a soothing melody. Lena shifted slightly and felt Jasmin's warmth against her. She smiled to herself, enjoying the moment of intimacy between them.

Realizing they had no classes for a while, Lena felt a sense of relief wash over her. She looked forward to spending some time with Jasmin, perhaps exploring the castle or practicing spells together. However, little did they know that the duelling competition was scheduled to start that day, and they only had a few hours to prepare.

Eventually, they reluctantly untangled themselves from each other and got dressed, still feeling the pleasant drowsiness of sleep. They made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast, dodging the groups of students that had formed in the halls. The dreary weather seemed to have cast a pall over the castle, and even the normally cheery students were subdued as they ate their meals.

As they entered the Great Hall, Lena and Jasmin saw the duelling cup had been moved to a prominent spot near the entrance. Seven gleaming trophies, each of varying size, were lined up next to it. Lena noticed that the smallest trophy belonged to the first years, while the largest belonged to the seventh years. The rain outside seemed to add to the solemn atmosphere, as if even the weather knew the gravity of the upcoming competition.

Lena and Jasmin couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement mixed with trepidation as they also saw the duelling schedule and got closer to inspect it. Lena pointed at the first year-Round One where both their names were written. "Look here, we're duelling against Kathrin Serenda and Gregor Firestone," she whispered.

"Wasn’t Gregor the one who demonstrated the disarming charm with Professor Ravenwood in Defense against the dark arts class, from the Blaze house?" Jasmin asked while looking over the Tournament schedule plan.

"Yes, I remember, he looked very confident. We better be careful," Lena replied, looking around the hall for empty seats where they could sit for breakfast. She grabbed Jasmin's hand, but Jasmin held her back before giving in and following Lena to a free place where they sat down and enjoyed their meal.

"Lucas and Amber are also competing, and if we both win, we'll face each other in the finals," Jasmin told Lena, who looked a bit worried by the news. Before she could reply, they felt a strong hand on their shoulders. They turned both around and saw the familiar face of Rachel.

"How are the nerves, girls?" she asked them, smiling confidently.

Lena and Jasmin looked at each other and smiled back.

"We're fine, but we're a little nervous since this is our first tournament," Jasmin replied.

Rachel smiled back. "You got this. Remember to keep moving so you aren't an easy target, always think a step ahead, but listen to your instincts and act upon them," she said, looking deep into each girl's eyes and getting closer, her arms around their shoulders pulling them in. "You got this, and you've got each other," she whispered and smiled at them. "We'll catch up with you after your duel but let me show you the arena in the Infinity Field."

The girls smiled back and nodded, feeling more confident with each passing moment. Their eyes widened as they heard about the Infinity Field.

They walked outside the castle, and Rachel cast a water-resistant spell on the trio that protected them from the rain. The drops just peeled off their robes, and as they walked, Lena and Jasmin admired the view of the forest to the right while also hearing flowing water from a river getting closer with the Bridge crossing him getting into their view.

Jasmin grabs Lena's hand and presses slightly while looking at her. "It's about to get serious." she says and Lena nods pressing Jasmin's hand reassuringly.

After they crossed the river through the old wooden bridge, they could see the Infinity Field. It was a sprawling expanse of flat land, shaped like an infinity symbol turned by ninety degrees, creating two distinct loops that were connected at the center. The field was surrounded by lush greenery and tall trees that provided a natural barrier and shielded the area from the rest of the castle. The grass was neatly trimmed and stretched out for miles, with no hills or bumps in sight. The area was devoid of any obstacles or structures, except for a few large rocks that were scattered around the perimeter of the field. Despite its plain design, the field had an air of majesty and grandeur, befitting of the notable events that took place there.

A big tent had been placed close to the Infinity Arena where the two rings meet. Inside the tent, there were multiple areas where the duellists could prepare themselves, injuries could be healed, and the audience could gather and follow the competition. As they walked closer, they saw some students and teachers already there, waiting for it to start. Meanwhile, more and more people arrived behind the three girls.

"In here." Rachel says and brings Lena and Jasmin to a small tent entrance to the side. "All right I think you still have some time but not a lot if you need anything let me know."

"Will you stay until it starts?" Jasmin asks and looks up at Rachel. "If you want me to, then I will yes. I know what goes through your mind. The first duel, will I get hurt? how does it feel? I know all these things to well. Trust me, you will be all fine and will return way more enthusiastically for the next round. This Poor Gregor won't know what comes at him." She smiles and goes once more through the spells and gives valuable advice to the two girls to start already with two plans. One for striking first and one to react onto a first strike from the enemy team.

Not too long after they started practising the sound of a deep horn fills the air for a few solid seconds. Rachel turns serious and calls the girls to her. "You got this, get out there and focus on this Gergor and the win will be yours. Good Luck Girls!" she says and holds the tent exit open for them.

"Oh wait, you are not allowed any magical help, I'm sorry, but I have to remove my Water resistance charm from you." Rachel explains and with a quick wand movement the two girls started to feel the rain soaking their robes. They accepted the rain and walked towards the right infinity loop holding their hands, Lena on the left, her wand in her left hand and Jasmin on the right, with the wand in her right hand.

As they looked through the rain to the other side of the infinity field, they saw Gregor and the girl whose name must be Kathrin.

a loud familiar voice fills the area as Professor Ravenwood starts to announce the duelling competition round. "Students and Professors, wizards and witches of Castlehaven, I welcome you to the first round of the annual duelling competition! Today, we will witness some of the most talented young magic wielders compete against each other in a display of skill, strategy, and agility.

But let me remind you, duelling is not just about defeating your opponent, it is also about showing respect, sportsmanship, and using magic responsibly. Our judges will be closely watching each duel to ensure that all spells used are within the bounds of safety and fairness.

So, without further ado, let us begin the first round of the duelling competition! May the best duellist win and may we all learn and grow from the magic that we will witness today.

In our first round we have Gregor Firestone and Kathrin Serenda testing their skill against Lena Everdale and Jasmin Lunaris, Remember to stay within the loops, Ready." He says after his Introduction and pauses briefly.

Lena and Jasmin exchange a brief glance before looking over at Gregor and Kathrin.

"Bow." he adds pausing again and waiting for each duellist to bow in respect for their opponent.

All four respectfully bow down and face each other again all holding their wands ready to strike.

"Go!" he yells and the crowd starts to make noise, cheering for their duellist team or just hoping for a good fight.

Lena and Jasmin let go of each other’s hand and step a few steps away from each other while still moving around slightly, ready to dodge.

As they stand ready to duel, the rain continues to pour down on Lena and Jasmin, drenching them completely and plastering their hair to their faces. The water streams down their robes, making them heavy and difficult to move in. Despite the discomfort, the two girls stand their ground, determined to give it their all in the competition luckily Gregor and Kathrin had the same environmental disadvantages as they had.

Kathrin and Gregor both quickly step forward their wands moving precisely through the air. "Flipendo!" Kathrin yells and a purple blast misses Lena only by a small margin as she jumps to the side and rolls over the ground her wet hair sticking to her face as she watches Jasmin block the Spell from Gregor. "Confundo" Jasmin says and launches a small red bolt at Gregor hitting him on the chest.

Gregor starts to seem confused and looks questioning at Kathrin. "Argh! Depulso!" she yells and a purple blast hits Jasmin who can't dodge in time and she gets knocked back several feet but manages to stay within the loop.

Gregor slowly seems to get his mind together and turns back towards Lena and Jasmin but before he realizes Lena's Expelliarmus hits him perfectly on his right hand and his Wand flies out of his hand, eliminating him from the duel.

"Diffindo!" Kathrin screams desperate to clutch it, but Jasmin was already back on her feet and quickly stepped close to Lena telling her to start Plan B, meaning Lena would fully focus on reacting and protecting while Jasmin would focus on attacking.

"Protego!" Lena yells and blocks Kathrin’s spell, right before Jasmin moves her arm forwards. "Confringo!" her small fireball hit Kathrin and sends her tumbling back while Lena sends a quick Depulso after her knocking her out of the loop completely.

Lena and Jasmin turn their heads at each other and smile proudly as they hear Professor Ravenwood’s voice again.

"And we have our winners! Lena Everdale and Jasmin Lunaris, Congratulations you two will move to the Finals for the 1^st year students!"

After the duel ended and Lena and Jasmin were declared the winners, they hugged each other tightly, jumping up and down in excitement. The rain continued to pour down on them, their hair and clothes already completely soaked. When they finally calmed down, Jasmin pulled Lena towards her and leaned in for a kiss. The rain drops between their faces added a bit of extra magic to the moment. Lena melted into the kiss, feeling the warmth of Jasmin's embrace and the wetness of the rain against her skin. It was a beautiful moment, standing there in the infinity field, with the sound of the rain around them and the cheering of the crowd in the distance.

When they finally broke apart, they saw Rachel at the tent entrance with a smile on her face and the two girls walk over to her and they all enter the tent.

Rachel tells them their next duel was tomorrow and recommends them to rest while she makes their clothes dry and enchants them again with the waterproof charm she used earlier.

Lena and Jasmin thank her for everything and walk back to the castle hand in hand now protected from the rain they enjoy the walk and arrive soon at the castle entrance where they enter and after a short stop in the dining hall for dinner, make their way towards their common room to go to their dormitory.

The two girls take off their robes and fall onto Jasmin's bed, Lena snuggles onto Jasmin who pulls the blanket with her wand over them and they talk for a while about the duel and how exciting it was before they eventually drifted off to sleep while the rain drops outside slowly start to get more and more silent and then stop completely.