Ethan gritted his teeth as he forcefully rolled to the side to evade the Ice Balls that were the size of tennis balls that were headed in his direction.
The sound of something shattering reached his ears, but he paid it no mind. Instead, he hastily propped himself up from the ground and started running.
Several more Ice Balls rained down on him like hail, forcing the teenage boy to run in a zigzag manner in the hopes of evading them.
However, it was futile.
The ground under his feet suddenly turned to ice, making him slip and fall on the ground.
Fortunately, Nicole had taught him the proper ways to fall, but it still made Ethan grimace in pain as he fell on his butt.
Chloe and Luna, who were watching from a distance, covered their lips in an attempt to hold back the giggle that was bubbling in their chests.
Although they wholeheartedly supported Ethan, they just found his embarrassing moments very endearing!
Nicole, on the other hand, didn’t hold back and chuckled, making the blue-haired boy’s cheeks redden.
“If you have enough time to feel embarrassed then you have enough time to dodge.”
A cold voice that was laced with sarcasm reached Ethan’s ears, and before he knew it, a snowball smacked his face, making him shudder.
“Your decision making and reflexes are both average,” Alice commented. “The way I see it, there is simply no way for you to defeat Lily, as well as Kurt in the upcoming battle. Also, are you looking down on me? Why aren’t you using any magic to avoid or deflect my attacks?”
“Did you forget that I’m a Dud?” Ethan replied with sarcasm as he dusted the dirt off of himself. “If I could freely use magic then I would have already used spells even if you didn’t tell me.”
“Then how come you were able to use spells when you fought Langston?”
“That is that. This is this. It’s not the same.”
Alice’s expression became colder after hearing the Ethan’s reply. She then raised her wand and summoned countless icicle shards that hovered around her.
“Then, what must I do in order for you to use magic and take this sparring session seriously?” Alice asked in a tone that made Ethan feel that the silver-haired beauty would toss the Icicle Shards at him if she didn’t like his answer.
The teenage boy was very tempted to say “If you want me to use magic, you need to kiss me first!”. 𝔬𝒱𝑳xt.𝒸𝚘𝓂
But he didn’t do that because if he really did, he knew that Alice would definitely turn him into a pin cushion, with countless ice shards piercing his body.
“Um, only when I am in mortal danger does my Origin Magic manifest,” Ethan lied with a straight face. “Unless that requirement is met, I won’t be able to use magic.”
“I see.” Alice nodded. “You just need to be in mortal danger, right? That can be arranged.”
Alice then pointed her wand at the handsome boy before chanting her spell.
“Clavum Glacies Zona Occisio!”
A moment later, countless Ice Spikes jutted out of the ground and headed in Ethan’s direction.
These Ice Spikes were coming from every direction, giving Ethan no room to dodge or defend himself.
“W-Wait I was just joking!” Ethan cried out in alarm as the Ice Spikes neared his location. “I can’t use magic because I’ve used up all of my Magic Power in the duel!”
The teenage boy then crossed his arms over his face and closed his eyes. There was simply no way for him to block this attack, and if Alice didn’t stop it, he would really die, or get himself fatally injured.
““Ignis Murus!””
Chloe and Nicole both pointed their wands towards Ethan and created walls of fire that blocked the path of the Icicle Spikes, protecting the teenage boy behind them.
Alice clicked her tongue before tapping her wand on the palm of her hand.
Right now, she looked very annoyed, which was something that she rarely let other people see in public.
A few seconds later, the walls of fire disappeared, revealing Ethan, whose face was now flushed due to the heat and fear he felt a moment ago.
“Again, how are you able to use magic when you are a Dud?” Alice asked coldly. “What are the requirements that you need to meet in order for you to use magic?”
Ethan took a few deep breaths before answering Alice’s question.
“I can’t tell you that,” Ethan replied. “This is the secret of my Origin Magic, and I don’t want others, especially those that I don’t trust to know about it.”
Chloe flinched after hearing Ethan’s words. She had no idea how her childhood friend and cousin was able to use magic. Which made her realize that he hadn’t told her anything about his Origin Magic.
‘Does that mean that he doesn’t trust me enough? Is that why he hadn’t told me how he has been able to use magic?’ Chloe thought as she felt a stinging pain in her chest. ‘No. There must be something more to this. He told me why he arrived at the Academy, and I know that he really didn’t possess any gifts of magic prior to coming here.’
Chloe, who had known Ethan the longest, understood how he thought. If he really didn’t say anything to her, that meant that it was something that was hard for him to talk about.
A sigh escaped Alice’s lips before she walked away from the training ground.
“Fine, it seems that we can’t meet eye to eye right now,” Alice said. “Goodluck in the tournament.”
The silver-haired beauty didn’t even take a backward glance as she truly left the training ground behind, leaving Ethan with a disappointed look on his face.
“Awww… does that mean that you don’t trust me either?” Nicole asked with a pout as she walked towards Ethan. “Haven’t we been through good and bad times? Why must you keep this a secret from me?”
When the pink-haired beauty was only a foot away from Ethan, she moved closer and whispered something in his ear.
“Does Chloe know?” Nicole asked.
“Not yet,” Ethan replied.
“I see…” the pink-haired beauty then backed away with a smile. “It’s that kind of secret, huh?”
She then glanced at Ethan’s cousin with a mischievous smile on her face, making Chloe glare at her in return.
“Let’s stop the training for now,” Nicole stated before lightly stretching her arms. “I’m sure that you are also not in the mood to continue.”
Ethan reluctantly nodded his head because Nicole was right. Currently, he was out of Magic Power, and couldn’t use the spells that he knew.
Fairy Magic was so precious that he didn’t want to waste it in their sparring training.
He would only use it inside Illumina’s Illusionary World where the Magic Drain was decreased to its limit.
“Ethan, a piece of advice,” Nicole said in a volume that only he could hear. “Talk to Chloe about your Origin Magic. She’s one of your most steadfast allies in this Academy. If you can’t even trust her, there is simply no one you can trust here.”
“I know.” Ethan nodded. “Thank you for the advice.”
Nicole smiled before leaving the training ground. However, before doing so, she made sure to give Chloe a wink, which made the latter wonder what the pink-haired beauty was up to.
After Nicole left, Ethan approached Chloe with a serious expression on his face.
“Chloe, we need to talk,” Ethan stated. “There is something very important that I’ve been keeping a secret from you.”
Just like Nicole stated, Chloe was indeed one of Ethan’s most trusted supporters in the Academy.
If he couldn’t even tell her the secret of his Origin Magic, then there was simply no one, aside from Luna and the Fairies, that he could trust.