HAVE YOU SEEN IT?

While a janitor was scrubbing the carpets, Norval sprinted into the hotel lobby. A drop of his sweat tricked down his face and fell on the carpet and they exchanged awkward glances with the janitor. He assumed and continued to walk towards the elevator when he met up with Jalon. Jalon had a plate full of food on his tray, including toasted bread, an omelette, and a glass of juice balanced on the toast. At the same time, he was munching on a sausage.

“Seriously? “Did you go for a jog?” With a bit of sausage still in his mouth, Jalon inquired.

“Unlike you, I prefer to have my body taken care of,” he replied.

“When the gods provide you with a body like mine, you don't have to worry about looking after it,"   Jalon remarked, throwing another chunk of sausage into his mouth, “We leave it to the gods to worry about that.”

“I thought the hotel provided room service, so why did you come all the way down here?”

“I wanted to do some reconnaissance in the region," He expressed his dissatisfaction by saying, "I heard hotels like these have the hottest staff, turns out I was mistaken." Norval snatched the glass of juice from Jalon's tray and went in front of him, flushing the entire glass down in one go, as they both boarded the elevator and made their way to the floor where they were staying. Jalon seemed unconcerned. Vandrad strolled past them as they were about to enter their rooms, his damp hair bouncing from side to side as he headed towards the elevator. Norval and Jalon responded that he was courteous enough to welcome them as he passed past them. They stood there watching him try to knot his robe's belt.

Luciana appeared not long after, coming from the same way as Vandrad. She too was wearing the exact same robe that the two guys saw Vandrad with and both of them had wet hair. Based on their findings, it was obvious where their minds were leading them. Luciana was fighting to get her key into her room's keyhole, and she could feel their gazes fixed on her.

Her quivering hands couldn't keep the keys steady long enough to insert it through the keyhole, and the key slid from her grasp. As she reached for it, she noticed the boys staring at her with puzzled expressions. It took her a minute to figure out what they were thinking, but once she did, she lashed at them like a snake.

“Get your dirty minds out of the gutter! Nothing happened,” 

“But,” Jalon tried to brush it off, “we didn't say anything.”

“You'll lose your eyes by the end of breakfast if you keep staring at me!” Luciana stated this as she adjusted her robe to hide her bathing suit.

“Wow, that's a fantastic colour scheme!” Giggling, Jalon said. When he saw Luciana stomping her way towards him, he dashed into his room and slammed the door shut.

“You should put it on for today's trials!” Jalon yelled from the safety of his room, then burst out laughing. Norval's patience had run out. He, too, burst out laughing from inside his chamber. Luciana had had her fill with embarrassment for the day, so she returned to her room and took the key. Her hands stopped shaking from the cold as a result of her rage, and she was able to open the door. When she entered, she could still hear the two obnoxious boys laughing their heads off.

The candidates afterwards gathered outside the hotel. They were picked up on time by a coach, just as a mob of fans and those who knew them had gathered around them. For the most part, the ride back to the Olympus Sports Complex was silent until they got closer to the complex. A steady stream of visitors approached the property. As they approached closer to the entrance, the crowd grew denser and thicker, and others were able to recognise them through the bus windows and began screaming their names. The parking area and entrance to the complex were swarming with people. They went by a group of people carrying banners with their names painted on them, as well as products with the candidates' faces painted on their shirts and hats. The applicants recognised at that point that the Complex would be crowded with people who would be watching their trials.

When they got off the bus, they were greeted with a flurry of clapping and chanting. They were hurried into the Complex and through the crowded entrance all the way to the unoccupied halls of the staff area as security rushed towards them and sheltered them from the crazy mob who wanted to get up close and personal with the pupils. They had a meeting with the management there.

“I'm really sorry; I hope no one was hurt?” the manager inquired.

“You didn't warn us that it would be that packed; I thought only a few people came to witness the trials?” Norval was the one who inquired.

“Well, this is Sunset City, and our folks go nuts for events like these,” the manager explained, “especially because it will be a tournament format.”

“It was a free invitation, and I never expected such a large number of people to show up. I hope I don't throw you off; I wouldn't want to be the one to sabotage your chances with this stunt,” the manager remarked.

“Throw me off? You just inspired me, dude."  Jalon said, pocketing his smartphone, "The crowd adores me, and now I have to bring my A-game."

“The locker room is where you guys practised yesterday. I've arranged for a clothing change to suit your preferences."  The manager added, giving over the keys to all three candidates, "Every suit and apparel has been designed to your satisfaction, and there are different possibilities to choose from."

They followed him to the elevator and then up to the training floor. All of the rooms on the corridor had been entirely redone, with name tags on the doors . They strolled through the doors and read the tags: 'Eadmer Todd,' 'Wardric Waller,' and 'Vandrad Stanier.' With their name badges on, they arrived at the list of three rooms at the end of the corridor.

“If there's anything else you need before we start, just call for help and they'll be there in a second. Otherwise, you have fifteen minutes left, and we can meet back in the lobby when you're finished. I wish you all the best of success, and don't forget to break a leg.” The manager muttered as he dashed to the elevator and returned to his office in a funny manner. The students then entered the room one by one, wearing their labels.

When Luciana went in, she was taken aback by the decor. There was a rack of shoes to her left, ranging from brightly coloured shoes to ankle-tying boots to flat shoes, everything was there. Several suites with diverse colour palettes were hanging on a drawer to her left. The one that stood out in front of her was a shelf with hundreds of vials, beakers, and belts stacked on top of each other. There were too many for her to choose from, including one that could wrap around her waist and another that could tie over her shoulders.

As she got closer, she noticed that the vials and beakers were placed according to the company's specifications. The top rack had the high-end vials, while the lower tier had the samples. She discovered a briefcase with the IAA school insignia on the front. When she opened it, she discovered flasks of potions and mutagen inside. Some of them were her creations, while others were donated by the school.

Inside her room, she could hear the raucous chanting of the crowd gathered in the complex's stadium. She began to feel anxious at that point. She was light on her feet, and she could feel the tension in the air with each breath she took. She grabbed the bottles and many racks of vials from the shelf and began filling them one by one before placing them in little compartments on a utility belt she had chosen.

She finished up and went over to the suits, where she chose a black suit with light pink embellishments on the shoulder and shins. It was the perfect fit for her slim and voluptuous figure. The measurements were taken to ensure a great fit for her physique, and she couldn't be happier. She put on some leather boots and a utility belt around her waist to ensure that none of the vials slipped out. She took two deep breaths to relax after she felt she had the look down, then strolled outside and down the corridor.

She stood outside for a while, letting Norval and Jalon finish their work. Norval eventually appeared, dressed in a black jumpsuit with blue shoulder embellishments and blue Boots. On the other hand, he opted for a utility belt that spanned his chest. Jalon reappeared a short time later, nibbling on a lollipop and combing his hair. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit and instead of a utility belt, he opted for a jacket to contain his vials. The garment had straps around the outside, and Jalon had hundreds of vials strapped to those harnesses. Over the suit, he put black cargo trousers and tucked a few bottles into the pockets. He completed his ensemble by wearing a ghostly mask around his neck.

“A mask?” Norval had approached him with the question.

“Hey, when a dazzling flash of light temporarily blinds you, you'll think to yourself, ‘I should have worn a mask, like Jalon,'” he continued, his voice unsteady, owing to the fact that he was trying to speak while a ball of sugar rolled across his tongue.

As they approached the elevator, another door blasted open in front of them, and a massive arm kept it open for a time. Eadmer Todd, the tiny youngster, walked out shortly after. He was dressed in a brightly coloured jumpsuit that radiated green throughout the corridor. His hands were hidden under gloves that reached all the way to his elbows, and his eyes were hidden by glasses. He lowered his shades and winked at Luciana as he turned to the three candidates.

“I hope to see you on the battlefield soon enough, and I hope you're bringing your best; I didn't come here to waste my time, and I hope you understand,” he remarked as he headed towards the stairwell, followed by his bodyguards.

“Ugh that little brat. If I break his arm, would that be considered child abuse?” Luciana asked.

“Well, there's definitely a Seolaran doctor who could heal it in a matter of seconds, so if I were you, I would go for it,” Jalon remarked. As they descended into the lobby, the mob grew louder and louder. They came shortly after and joined the rest of the group.

Wardric Waller was dressed in the same outfit as before, with the exception that he was not wearing the bead necklace he was wearing the day before. Vandrad Stanier was dressed casually in a loose-fitting jacket and tight-fitting denim pants, with sneakers and a black turtleneck shirt on top. For a brief period, the candidates were caught off guard. Because he was a Lorth magician, they expected him to dress like a monk, but they remembered that he was self-taught and thus was not forced to wear togas or shave his head. Luciana tried to stay behind Jalon, occasionally peeking out her head to avoid making eye contact with him; the memory of their morning encounter was still vivid in her mind, and the last thing she wanted to do was allow herself to be seen by him again.

The audience exploded into a frenzy as they entered the stadium. An announcer was even shouting over his microphone, agitating the throng. When Luciana looked up, she could see herself on the Stadium's huge screen, which was suspended from the ceiling. She was also able to view the others.

When Jalon saw a group of girls in the stansd, he began waving to them and occasionally blew kisses. Vandrad Stanier adjusted the belt running over his shoulder and connecting to his waist. He was donning a black grimoire with a vivid red diamond on the leather grimoire cover, indicating that he was more powerful than he appeared.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen! There they are! Please help me Welcome the participants for the tournament of the Trials! “The crowd surged once more,” the announcer stated.