The pit was alive with movement. Several supporting students had distinct personalities and powers:
Tarin Valcrest: A B-rank student with lightning magic. He dashed across the arena, conjuring electric barriers to protect nearby students from falling debris.
Selina Duskwood: Agile, F-rank, specializes in illusions. She created phantom walls to block attacking beasts while guiding younger students through the maze.
Joran Flint: A quiet A-rank with fire magic. His flames carved paths through shadow beasts, but he stayed in the back, calculating angles of attack.
Elara Moonshade: Shadow manipulator like Lyra, but less controlled. She struggled with fear as her chains flailed uncontrollably, accidentally sending illusions flying.
The scene became a full-scale magical battle, students dodging, leaping, casting, and countering. Mist rolled along the pit floor, obscuring vision. Floating platforms rotated violently. Shadow wolves leapt from corners, serpents lunged from above, and spectral hounds pursued relentlessly.
Lyra coordinated with Mira and Kael, sending chains to restrain beasts while Mira cast wind to divert them. She noticed Tarin's lightning creating a safe path for students struggling across a broken platform. Joran's flames carved safe corridors. Selina's illusions distracted multiple shadow wolves at once.
Every supporting student had a role, every action mattered. The arena was chaos—but structured, like a deadly dance.