2 WEEKS TO THE TRIALS OF THE CHAMPION OF ITHEA Luciana walked through the hallways of the school's classroom area. When she made a turn and the kids' gaze caught her approaching towards them, they fell silent. They'd tuck into their lockers, and the doors to some of the classes would close. They didn't avoid her because they were afraid of her; they simply didn't want to engage with her. That didn't worry her in the least; she just kept walking, pausing sometimes to adjust her gloves. A little girl ran up to her, clutching a book in her hand, as she was about to make her final turn and exit the class complex. “Miss Vonner, wait!” she cried out to her. Luciana came to a halt to pay her attention.“Yes, what is it?” she asked, her tone solemn. She looked at the girl's face, which was painted with interest.“Could you perhaps assist us in our alchemy class, Miss Vonner?” With a tiny voice, the small girl inquired. “It's ok; you don't have to addres

“Have the applicants already left for the trials?” “The king inquired. He walked around Mr. Starkridge's office, tipping books and pens down on the dusty carpet and watching them roll.“Yes, sir, they left a few hours ago. He said, swallowing hard and loosening his tie in agitation, “I assume they have already boarded the plane and are on their way to Sunset City as we speak.” The lady who had accompanied the king took a seat on one of the couches closer to the office door. While the two were speaking, she started fussing with her nails.“Mr. Starkridge, didn’t I tell you that letting the boy live was going to cause some, complications. I suggested that we just kill the boy right then and there and be done with it. But you had to resort to the slow and methodical approach of feeding him blue fire, how did it go? ” The king inquired as he rested his hand on one of the pens and picked it up.“Uhm sir, I don't think it's appropriate to discuss such a thing in front

Mr. Starkridge was starting to feel anxious. It had been over an hour since his secret agent had called. He believed dealing with an unarmed woman would be straightforward, but Mr. Starkridge was aware that something had happened to him at that time.As he strolled up and down his office, he thought to himself, "That stupid rat better not get caught." He reached for a tumbler of bourbon laying on his desk and took one last long swig before calling it a night.He reached for his overcoat, which was laying on the armrest of his office chair, and exclaimed, "That's it, I'm out of here." He had various paperwork on the table, including a passport, an identification card, and two aircraft tickets. He was on the verge of fleeing the realm. He hurriedly slung the overcoat over his back and stuffed the documents into his briefcase. He looked around the room for anything unusual. The papers were strewn across the floor and the shards of broken glass didn't appear to con

Nelanian returned to the shanty where he had been resting. His head throbbed with a headache, and he couldn't concentrate on anything for long. It hurt him in waves, inducing light drowsiness before assaulting him with violent anguish that forced him to fall out of his chair. He reached for a drink he'd made himself and drank two hefty tastes of it. He felt strong enough to walk again after a few moments of resting his mass on the chair, so he got to his feet and walked toward the shack's entrance.It was an aging house that could have easily been blown down by a strong enough breeze, termites had eaten through most of the walls, and it didn't even have a door. Nelanian had tied a sack he found near a farm, cut it, patched it together to form a curtain, and hung it over the door frame as his door. When he stepped outdoors, he spotted black clouds moving in from the south. A storm was approaching, and he needed to finish whatever he was working on before the rain caught him ou

Luciana, Norval, and Jalon were all seated on the bench in front of the entrance to the sports complex's head office, where the manager normally sat. Their professors had summoned them to the office for an unscheduled meeting. Because the IAA had closed, the candidates needed to know what they should do after the trials. It was going to be a long, arduous month, and they had to be prepared since the school was closed indefinitely, which meant they could have to return home after the trials were through.It was going to be a long, arduous month, and they had to be prepared since the school was closed indefinitely, which meant they could have to return home after the trials were through.From inside the office, the secretary called to them. The door had been wide open, and there were two entries inside the office, one leading to the secretary's desk and the other, which had been locked, leading to the manager's office shortly after someone had been cleared to enter the offic