A glow of purple light began to engulf his right hand; it looked like -- it definitely was fire, Adrien realized: purple fire, its light reflected in Valerion's narrow eyes. Adrien saw the corners of his mouth curl in a mischievous smile; then he saw him hurl the fireball. Adrien gasped, and scrambled to draw an arc; water to douse the fire, he thought - a wave from a stormy sea, unstoppable, relentless, steely under a steely sky, crashing onto a pale shore. The arc turned bright, and there came the wave - the fireball disappeared within the foam; Adrien quickly retreated his arm, and the wave faded away before it could collapse onto the stone floor. He breathed heavily, his eyes wide; he heard the sound of Valerion's clapping, and he saw his bright smile.

"Very, very good", he said, "you reacted promptly and precisely to the unexpected; very well done, Adrien".