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The sunlight glinted harshly off the ice from Jason’s last attack. Stray bits of ice crunched under my feet as I moved to the center of the arena. I heard broken pieces of conversation from the crowd as the roaring in my ears faded.

“Do you know what happened?”

“Looked like McHale said something, but I couldn’t hear—”

“McHale just fought. Is Flamel really gonna let him go again?”

“I hope so! I want to see what that Grimm kid can do. Don’t you know who his parents are?”

I stopped and turned to face the stands I’d just left. I was still shaking from all the adrenaline in my system.

Calm down, Zane, I thought to myself. Remember what Dad taught you. Use the anger, don’t let it use you.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. It had been a long time since I’d felt anger like this. I had to get it under control.

I started counting.

One.

Five seconds. For five seconds, I let the anger take over. Let every violent thought and impulse run through my head.

Two.

All the things I could do to David to make sure he never mistreated Jason again.

Three.

He had been giving Jason grief for years. There had to be a reason why.

Four.

Even the worst people don’t act like they do for no reason, even if it’s a stupid one. But I was past the point of caring. The only reason I hadn’t knocked David’s teeth in before now is because Jason asked me not to. Told me it wasn’t worth it. But I wasn’t going to let it slide. Not this time.

Five.

When I opened my eyes, I’d stopped shaking and giving off sparks. The red-hot pit of anger in my chest seemed to have burned itself out. A cold, quiet pressure had taken its place. A stillness, like being deep underwater.

I watched David as he walked out into the arena. Even though he clearly had no problem going after Jason, he’d never really tried to pick a fight with me. A small part of me couldn’t help but wonder why. Maybe because I’ve shown I’m not afraid of him?

Or maybe it’s because I’m a Grimm. I know my family’s reputation. I’ve heard the stories. Maybe that was the reason. Of course, I could’ve just been reading too much into it.

Magic or not, Jason was still a werewolf. He was a lot stronger than he looked, and that was saying something. But Jason was also one of the nicest people I’d ever met. Always looking out for others, being careful not to hurt anyone. David thought Jason would be an easier target.

Big mistake.

As I looked back at David, that arrogant, self-satisfied smirk spread back across his face.

“Let’s get this out of the way,” he said.

He stretched out his hand and unleashed a massive blast of wind. The mound of ice exploded. Pieces of ice rained down over the arena, some as small as peas, some as big as soccer balls.

If he was trying to intimidate me, it wasn’t going to work.

“Nicely done,” I said. “If you ask nicely maybe this winter, they’ll give you a job clearing the sidewalks.”

Well, that certainly wiped the smile off his face.

“Are both fighters ready?” asked Nick.

“Ready.”

“Ready.”

“Alright, same rules as before. You have five minutes. First one to surrender, or unable to continue, loses. And David?”

He shot Nick a look of contempt.

“You went overboard in your last match. You will not do so again? Is that clear?”

David muttered something under his breath.

“Want to try that again?” asked Nick, his voice like steel.

David looked like he was on the verge of being sick as he said, “Yes, sir.” David turned back towards me. “Alright, Grimm. I got cheated last time, and I need to burn off some of this anger. Try to last the full five minutes. I want to see how hard I can beat on you before they call the fight.”

“Oh, so it’s, like, a challenge for yourself?” I said. “That sounds like fun! I should make a challenge for myself, too. Okay now, let me think… I’ve got it! Forget five minutes…” I looked David straight in the eyes. “…I’ll beat you in five moves.”

David’s face turned fire engine red. I could almost hear his teeth grinding together.

“Fighters, ready!” said Nick.

Spittle flew from David’s mouth as he said, “You better make that first shot count, Grimm. It’s the only one you’re gonna get.”

I shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

The buzzer sounded.

“Begin!”

David charged, boosting his speed with another blast of wind. As he drew back his arm, electricity crackled around his ham-sized fist. For such a big guy, David could really move when he wanted to.

Before David’s punch could connect, I got in close and grabbed his arm. I put all my weight behind it as I spun and used David’s own momentum to flip him over my shoulder and slam him to the ground.

His back hit so hard he actually bounced a few inches back off the ground. David gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of him. I backed off and waited for his next move.

“You know, we can end this right now,” I said.

David staggered to his feet. There was a truly impressive vein throbbing in his forehead as he glared at me.

“All you have to do is forfeit. And then, you’re going to go to Jason, apologize, and beg for his forgiveness.” I gave him a friendly smile. “What do you say?”

“Screw you!” yelled David.

Calling up more wind, David launched himself into the sky, supported by a funnel of swirling air. That was actually pretty smart. Sure, it wasn’t as maneuverable as flying, but it was a lot more stable. And I wouldn’t be able to get under him without getting caught in the miniature tornado he was riding. He was trying to keep some distance between us.

“So, is that a no?” I said.

As he hovered thirty feet over my head, I felt his mana surge as more electricity began to arc around his hands. A crazed smile spread across his face.

“Let’s see you how you handle this!”

A bolt of lightning shot from his hand. I dove out of the way. David’s attack hit a block of ice the size of a refrigerator, reducing it to melted slush.

“Okay,” I said. “That’s a no.”

I ducked and dodged as best I could, using the larger pieces of ice for cover. David’s attacks had a lot of power, but his anger certainly wasn’t helping his accuracy.

Maybe I could use that. I grinned. Time to poke the hornet’s nest.

“You’ve really got to work on your aim, man,” I said. “Maybe you should go find a Stormtrooper and ask them for some tips.”

I could practically hear it as something in David’s brain just snapped. I could feel his mana building as the hairs on my arms started to stand up, a sure sign of what was coming.

“McHale!” shouted Nick. “What do you think you’re doing!?”

David was breathing heavily. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He had lost himself in his anger. He’d used up too much stamina between his two fights, and all those big moves had his mana draining fast.

Mana is the energy that makes magic work. Think of it like a magic power gauge in a video game. With training you can increase the amount of mana your body can make and the amount it can hold.

But magic is also tied to emotions. For example, extreme sadness or depression can make magic so weak that it might not even work at all. Anger, on the other hand, has the opposite effect. It can make your powers much stronger, but they can become impossible to control.

“Dodge this, you son of a bitch!” roared David.

He threw out his hands. An enormous bolt of lightning erupted from his hands, filling the air with the sharp stink of ozone.

It was a big move. Probably David’s big finishing move. And against somebody else it would probably have worked. Except that David seemed to have forgotten one very important thing.

I could use Lightning Magic, too.

I reached out my hand and caught David’s attack. Then I used my mana to channel the current down one arm and back up the other. I redirected the bolt and it struck hard. Right at the base of the tornado keeping David in the air.

Dust and debris flew into the air as the blast left a ten-foot-wide crater burned into the ground. The force of the blast disrupted the air funnel, and David stumbled, trying to keep himself airborne.

I reached out with my mana to the ice scattered around us. The energy flowed out of me and into the ice, turning it to liquid. I quickly pulled the water up around my arm and swung at David. The water stretched out into a thick whip as big around as a telephone pole. It wrapped around David’s chest, pinning both of his arms to his sides.

I raised my arm over my head, then I spun and brought it down hard. The water whip followed my arm and brought David along for the ride.

The crowd gasped and groaned as David hit the ground with a sickening smack. It even made me flinch a little. It was the kind of hit that, even just watching it, you could feel it in your teeth.

David managed to climb to his feet. But just barely. He had a nasty scrape down the side of his face. One of his eyes was already starting to swell shut. Blood ran down his chin from a busted lip.

I waved a hand at my face, and then gestured at what was left of the ice scattered around us.

“You might want to put some ice on that,” I said.

David let loose an angry, bestial roar as he charged at me, a vortex of wind surrounding his fist. He’d burned through too much of his power. It wasn’t much, but everything he had left was in that attack.

It was time for this fight to end.

I pulled in water for another attack. This time, I focused it all around my right hand.

Fun fact. Different elements can be used for different things. And you know one of the best uses for Water Magic?

Pure concussive force.

My fist met David’s. The force of my punch, and the power in his own, rebounded up his arm.

I heard the crack of bone.

David dropped to his knees. He cradled his arm to his side as best he could, his face white with pain.

I knelt down next to him as he whimpered and gasped for breath. I spoke softly, so only he could hear me.

“That pain you’re feeling. Consider it a warning. If you ever talk to Jason like that again… I. Will. Not. Be so understanding.”

I turned to walk away. I wasn’t going to say anything else. Really, I wasn’t. No point causing him any more pain or humiliation than I already had. But it seemed that David just couldn’t help himself. He just had to go and open his mouth.

“You think you’re so much better than me?”

I turned to face David. His eyes burned with hatred.

“Yeah, right. I know all about you, Grimm. Everybody in town knows.” He spit a wad of blood at my feet. “You’re nothing! Your own parents knew you were worthless as soon as they saw you! That’s why they dumped you here the first chance they got! They ditched you, and never looked back. They knew you were nothing, and they were right.”

For a handful of seconds, I just stood there and looked at David.

Finally, I said, “I can’t say for sure why they did what they did. Maybe they were right. But I was wrong.”

David looked up at me, confused.

“Wrong about what?” he asked.

I felt a small smile spread across my face.

“It only took me four moves.”

Then, leaving David broken and beaten on the ground, I turned and walked away. Over the crowd’s thunderous applause, I heard Nick yell—

“This match is over. The winner… is Zane Grimm!”