Steven accelerated fast, but even without looking, he could tell that Merency was following him. ’’There goes her secrecy,’’ he thought; maybe he should’ve kept quiet when talking to her.
But it wasn’t his problem; after all, she should be able to protect herself with her talent and family.
Even for Steven, progress began to slow. The students ahead weren’t much less talented than he had once been.
But he knew what was lying ahead and that a chance for his overtaking was coming very soon. As he finally reached the first marble step of a gigantic staircase.
’’Time to shift into another gear if you want to show off.’’ He yelled towards Merency behind him, who was barely even able to catch up.
The staircase towered hundreds of meters into the sky, each marble step nearly waist-high. It wasn’t designed for ordinary people to climb. It was meant to filter out the weak.
Glancing at the sun as he began climbing, Steven estimated they still had enough time to reach the Diamond Class and perhaps even finish first
But his hopes were utterly crushed, as a familiar old voice echoed through the sky like thunder.
’’Edward Eden is the first student to reach the target. Congratulations!’’ The principal’s voice had a slight undertone of worry in it as if he were trying to tell him something. Out of the corner of his eye, Steven watched Merency nearly come to a complete stop.
’’How is this even possible?’’ Merency called out behind him. ’’We have barely reached noon; nobody should have finished this fast.’’
Steven couldn’t help but laugh. This old man was insane. Revealing that name in front of everyone? A few years ago, it would’ve started a war.
Eden wasn’t just any noble name; it was the name of former royalty, the one who was destroyed when the Moonstones overtook the country. Since then the Eden’s had completely disappeared, thought to be extinct.
Frowning his brow, he whispered. ’’This is getting more interesting each minute.’’ As excitement filled his body, he just wanted to ascend faster and mess with those guys.
Barely a minute later, Yumoth’s voice echoed through the sky once again. Lucy Starpasser has just entered the finish line; please congratulate her.
A second name so early? Those kids weren’t just talented; they were one in a century with times matching the ones founding the path.
’’Hurry up, princess, or do you need somebody to carry you?’’ He yelled to Merency as the first drop of sweat finally ran down his face.
Taking a leap forward with all his might, he crumbled the floor where he had been standing into dust, creating a small cloud of white powder.
As he flew through the air, he could finally sneak a glance of the top, where the mighty university stood. The giant stone towers nearly reached the sky, combined with more rooms than he could probably count.
But with another explosion, something leaped past him. Merency took the lead for the first time in a long time. Steven could only feel impressed. "She’s better than predicted," he whispered to himself, nearly laughing. ’’But that won’t be enough.’’
Steven reached into empty space as though grabbing an invisible rope. With a violent pull, the world folded around him. One moment he stood on the staircase; the next he existed dozens of meters ahead.
But he might have forgotten the dangers of warping space in a cursed place. As he started down his body. His barrier didn’t even have time to activate before he caught fire; the friction was strong enough to easily melt even steel.
"Ah, fuck, is this hot." He barely screamed in a panic as if trying to fool himself and simply took a deep breath. Standing completely still, slowly letting out his breath. As a world freezing cold left his mouth directly on his clothes.
But a natural power like this couldn’t be held back so easily, as the air around him slowly began to crystallize, forming a giant ice sculpture in mid-air.
Unable to balance on the narrow staircase, the massive sculpture slowly tipped toward the village below.
"Oh shit, hopefully everyone is at the festival.’’ He yelled down, probably not even being audible. He only glanced back for a single moment, watching Merency, who fell greatly behind and would not be able to catch up to him.
"If I don’t win first or second, I will at least secure myself a place on the podium," he spoke to himself, already imagining his victory.
The rest of the staircase was like a dream; He barely remembered it.
Finally reaching the top, the staircase ended, opening to a giant road big enough to work for sporting events, as he could already see the finish line at the front gate of the enormous university.
Finishing the final sprint, he stood barely a few meters away from the red line. Something on the road caught his attention.
Somebody was lying there resting. The sight made him stop and shake. Who was this and why were they here? Stepping closer to inspect the person, Steven finally caught sight of her dark blue hair.
A Frostes? They shouldn’t be any of the main line attending this year. Who was she? He wanted to wake her and ask her, but she seemed to have already caught his presence, standing up with surprising speed.
But Steven was faster as he grabbed her waist just before she could step back. ’’Who are you?’’ He asked, not noticing her pulling him together with her.
As they both tumbled over the floor, they fell together over a small red line. As the girl opened her mouth to answer, Principal Yumoth’s voice echoed through the sky.
’’Having finished in third place are June Frostes and Steven Bright.’’
So she truly was a Frostes. Wait, did this old man just say "bright"? Like the bastard family of Hell?