Theta was born in the Kingdom of Dryia, the coldest region of the continent. He had no idea who his parents were; hed been raised with no concept of home. He staved off starvation and the freezing cold the only way an orphan couldby begging.

Theta was, though, content with his life. Better to live free, he thought, than to spend a lifetime as someone elses servant.

His childish ideals would end in agony.

Ughhhhh Theta, about six or seven years old, collapsed to the ground, his back twisted at a distinctly wrong angle.

You dont even know what youre saying, and yet you dare speak rudely to me? Is that it?

A group of people clustered around Thetas battered body. It was easy to surmise that they were wizards from their distinctive robes; in fact, they were wizards of the royal family of Dryia.

Its such a bother to be roaming around like this, and then this beggar comes to talk to me

Watch your words, a middle-aged wizard snapped. These are orders from the King himself.

S-Sir, I didnt mean it like that!

The older magician sighed. The royal magicians of Terra do this at least twenty times a year. We barely manage half of thatso quit your whining.

Yes Im sorry.

Child. The middle-aged wizard turned back to Theta. This relic is far greater than you think. He waved a transparent glass rod at Thetas brutalized form and it began to emit a soft blue glow. Do you know what this means? It means you dont have to scrounge like the children over there. It means youll be above them.

Thousandsno, tens of thousandsof people your age have been tested for mana sensitivity over the last decade, but none of them had a response as deep as yours.

Mana sensitivity was not something that paid any heed to background or upbringing. Unlike knights, wizards were born, not made. Still, an extraordinary wizard needed extraordinary resources to flourishthe kind of resources only a country could provide. That meant that countries dispatched wizards all across their territory to find magically-talented children.

Come along. We will need to conduct a more thorough study to confirm it, but if youre as talented as I think, youll live a life that other people can only dream of.

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The wizard wielded the carrot and the stick expertly.

I Theta coughed and bit his bruised lip. He knew that if he followed the wizard, hed never be hungry again. But then, hed never be free again, either.

Hm? The wizard noticed that Thetas eyes pointed somewhere very particular, if only for a moment. No way A smile danced on his lips. Youre worried about them?

He seemed to take Thetas silence as an affirmative.

Berkeley.

Yes, sir. The younger wizard stepped forward.

Has the tester responded to any of these children? Even slightly? He pointed to the crowd of little beggar children.

Theyre trash. The young man scowled at their ragged clothes.

Then take out the trash.

Right away. The young wizard looked at Theta and smiled viciously.

N-No! Theta thrashed violently.

Humanity is useless for a wizard. Wizards would sell their souls for knowledge, if thats what it took to become a Great Master.

Ill do it! Ill go with you! Just dont hurt them

The waifs stared wide-eyed as the younger wizard approached them. He stopped and turned to look at Theta.

It doesnt matter what you think but Im gonna teach you a spell. He flicked his hand casually and an orb of bright red flames appeared. Theres nothing like fire magic when it comes to mass destruction. Watch and learn.

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No, pleaseNO!

Gravity. The older wizard pinned down Theta with a simple spell, forcing the boy to watch as the wizard closed in on the orphans. He seemed to be taking his sweet time so he could savor Thetas screams.

No! Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the fireball homed in on the orphans.

If Id just gone with them, this wouldnt have happened.

If only I could rewind time, Id do it a hundred thousand times.

I havent asked for anything until now! Please, please, just give me a miracle this once!

Someone, it seemed, was listening.

Thunder Cannon.

With a bang, the sky was split in two. A beam of pure light etched itself on Thetas eyes as it stabbed into the earth.

Thetas prayers were answered, in overwhelming fashion.

Why am I remembering this?

Theta escaped from his memories, but was still dazzled by Joshuas lightning.

That day, Theta discovered what it was like to be surpassed. Joshuas lightning was stronger than any magic hed ever seen; it swept away Thetas storm like it was nothing. Where the arena had once been filled with a raging tempest, now it only contained empty airand a massive thunderbolt spear.

This is Theta grinned sardonically. It cant be Bronto. Primordial Stones may be known as divine artifacts, but even they couldnt create this kind of power. Not on their own, at least.

But Joshua Sanders could. Maybe

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[Ive changed my mind. Your probability of success about five percent now, from what I see.]

Joshua met Thetas eyes and smiled. A 5000% increase was nothing to scoff at.

[What a privilege.]

[Really, you] Theta paused, thinking back to their first conversation. [Why do you want the highest seat? I dont get itYou already have everything.]

[Its a matter of principles. And, theres no better way to protect the people I care about.]

Thetas eyes widened. [To protect them?]

[You may not be able to understand what Im saying yet.]

Joshua abruptly turned around.

Dont understand? No, Theta mumbled, I understand better than anyone else.

Um The announcer nervously spoke up. This match

Joshua opened his mouth. From this point forward

Its over, Theta interrupted. I concede my defeat to Joshua Sanders, the representative of the Avalon Empire.

The arena went eerily silent.

Then The announcer cleared his throat. Joshua Sanders wins the final match of Group A!

The most anticipated match so far, the great clash of knight and wizard, had come to an end.

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