Third test: "I will succeed!"

Akiko went to sit down, and everyone was looking at her; quickly wanting to get out of that awful situation, she left the room and went to the bathroom. She entered a stall, closed the door, and began to cry — something she hadn’t done in a long time since Letícia died. She wanted to disappear from so much shame; however, she knew she had to keep going for Letícia’s sake. Then she wiped her tears and, with determination, said, “Yes, I will succeed,” and left.
When she returned to the room, she heard the mage say:
— Let’s begin the third test. You will have no time to rest; please, follow me.
And so they were led to another place — a forest — and the mage spoke again:
— Approximately only 330 people passed... (that’s almost half).
The witches looked at each other in surprise.
— We will divide you into three groups.
— The first group will have a broxe with the wind element, the second with water, and the third with fire. You will need to take the broxe from another team and bring it to the center.
— You have 2 days and 12 hours to finish; if you don’t, you will be disqualified. There are no rules; however, if someone is seriously injured, you cannot kill them, and they may surrender. If they surrender, you cannot continue, and they will be disqualified. If you don’t stop even if they surrender, I will take care of it myself. Ah... I forgot to mention: the forest may have some dangerous creatures, so if you are attacked, we won’t be able to help — she said with a frightening expression. — Now, we will hand out the broxes.
— And finally, let the games begin.
Everyone entered the forest.
Akiko felt more confident and focused on the test. She didn’t want to fight, but she knew that wouldn’t be an option.
She was walking through the forest when she sensed mana and looked to the side. A witch was about to attack a young witch (apparently 16 years old) from behind; so Akiko quickly cast a spell — a lightning bolt — at him. It was almost involuntary.
— Why did I do that? — Akiko wondered.
The young witch, startled, looked at her, quickly grabbed her hand, shook it vigorously, and said:
— Hi, I’m Lara. Thank you so much! You were so fast I didn’t even hear you say the spell — said the girl, scratching her head.
Akiko blushed and bowed slightly as a sign of thanks.
But then Akiko quickly saw the girl’s broxe, and the girl saw hers. Akiko’s broxe was water element, and the girl’s was wind, so they were on different teams. Both took a small step back, and the girl said:
— You’re not going to attack me, right?
Akiko thought for a moment and shook her head “no.” Then Akiko took the broxe from a boy — unfortunately also water element — and gave it to the girl.
The girl then asked:
— How can I repay you for helping me?
Akiko had an idea; however, she was tired, so she took the girl’s arm and led her to a nearby cave.
— Where are you taking me? — the girl asked.
They made a fire and slept there.
In the morning, Lara asked:
— Aren’t you going to tell me how I can help you?
Akiko bent down, took her wand, and wrote their plan in the sand. The girl, understanding, smiled in agreement and said:
— You don’t like to talk, huh?
Then they left the cave and began the plan.
Lara’s task was to find someone from her team and distract them; meanwhile, Akiko would take the broxe with a wind spell. They did just that.
After grabbing the broxe, they headed toward the center, walking; but many people were trying to take broxes from others. So Akiko grabbed the broom Lara was carrying on her back, and they flew away.
When they arrived, Lara passed through a barrier in the middle, but Akiko couldn’t. Lara asked:
— Aren’t you coming?
Akiko raised her hand, signaling “wait.” She flew up high and noticed some examiners hidden. Then she saw something that confirmed her suspicions: the examiners were taking notes on everything that was happening.
They wouldn’t become mages simply by passing; they would be evaluated by what they did. So Akiko knew she had to do more to succeed.
**Final Notes**
Akiko didn’t know why she helped that girl...
She knew what she had to do to stand out, but she was reluctant.