BEYOND THE BLAZE

The disqualified kids were out of the traps, watching their classmates continue to the next events. They cheered for them, giving them energy.

(Present day)

Many people in the crowd didn't see Akirion's aura because most of them were non-magic users, so they were taken aback when they saw five kids collapsing to their knees. Their mouths were gapped open, and their eyes widened ike baseballs as their hearts raced to their limits.

Confusion emerged in their minds, leading to questions about why those kids had collapsed.

The boo sounds faded as terror took hold of the crowd.

The prince wasn't paying attention. His eyes were lost in thought; he didn't see or hear anything. His left hand was holding his chin as his mind was racing.

As he was lost, he blinked twice, astonished by the absence of the boo from the crowd. He then thought he had missed something.

"Hey Fiana…?" he darted a glance at the stage and suddenly gasped, shivers running down his spine, prompting questions from Fiana, who was waiting for what Kaid was about to say next.

"Hey, brother? Are you alright?" she asked. Surprisingly, the prince was frozen; his eyes were fixed on the stage, looking at Akirion, slowly shaking in fear. He felt heaviness in his body, unable to move a finger.

Terror befell Fiana when she saw her brother frozen like a corpse. She became completely worried and called out for Kaid, but no response came from him. Shivers ran down her spine as she forced her trembling body to stand up. She rose from the royal chair, and her feet thudded toward Prince Kaid.

Meanwhile, everyone was speechless, staring at the stage where every kid was suffering trauma from Akirion's intense, dark, scary aura, which resembled smoke or clouds emanating from his body, looming around him like an evil spirit.

'What's happening?' This question was raised from the crowd as they watched the first aid doctors rushing to the collapsed kids.

The doctors were astonished when they saw that the kids didn't respond to anything; only terror was visible in their eyes. They then looked at the other kids who were standing—barely. Shivers had taken over their strength, and their legs were shaking like jelly.

Those who were still standing wondered in their minds:

"What is he doing?" The question echoed until Elina found the strength to ask loudly. She received no response from the others, but she cared little; her body was trembling badly, and she continued to shiver.

On the other side, the princess swung her hand in front of Prince Kaid, but he showed no reaction—only his eyes, filled with terror, pointed at the stage. She was terrified as her eyes trembled like leaves in the wind.

Kaid asked himself, overwhelmed by Akirion's powerful, intense aura:

'What's happening to me? I can't even move a finger. What's happening?' His heart pounded as he silently spoke, since he couldn't move his lips or tongue.

The chilly cold loomed over the school, forcing everyone to cover their arms with clothes. Suddenly, Thaneiros recognized the cold. His mind replayed the day he fought the former organization, the underground society, five years ago.

He recalled the cold he had felt then, and suddenly looked closely at Akirion. His eyes widened in astonishment as he saw the same shadow around Akirion that he had seen five years ago.

Even though he wasn't a magic user, he was blessed to see the intense aura around Akirion. He slowly raised his right hand, clenched tightly, and stood up.

He softly called out to Akirion, "Akie." Surprisingly, those words echoed in Akirion's mind. Akirion recognized them and slowly looked up at the stage.

Suddenly, his gaze landed on Thaneiros, who was on his feet. Akirion's face was filled with a genuine smile—not the fake one he had been wearing all along. A sudden wind swept across the stage, and Akirion's aura suddenly faded, causing gasps from the overwhelmed kids.

The prince reacted suddenly, and the worried princess's face changed as she saw a reaction from her brother.

He wiped his eyes, astonished and confused, but his memories still locked in.

'What happened? And that shadow—what was that? I couldn't even move anything,' the prince silently asked himself. Suddenly, he gasped, eyes widening as he was embraced by his sister.

"Thank God you're okay! You scared my heart to stop when you didn't reply to me!"

Meanwhile, the kids acted as if they woken from a terrifying nightmare, gasping in astonishment as they wondered what had happened. Their eyes darted around in confusion, especially those who were on their knees.

The first aid doctors, astonished by the sudden movement of the kids, quickly got to their feet, though confusion filled their minds.

The silence was broken by scattered gasps from the audience as they saw the kids who had collapsed now standing.

The announcer shattered the silence with his loud voice through the megaphone, filling the place with blaring sounds.

"What just happened here? A sudden fall and a cold wind on a sunny day?! Who cares, —let's get back to normal!" The crowd erupted with cheers, and boos started again.

'Oh dear, not again,' Akirion and the announcer silently thought as they heard the crowd continue booing Akirion.

Suddenly, Aria stood up straight, wiping her eyes after nearly collapsing from Akirion's overwhelming aura. She prepared herself for a fight, her mind fully focused on fighting the weaker Class A—Akirion—forgetting that she had bent her back from lack of strength due to his aura.

Aria's face bloomed with a confident smile as she faced the weakling Akirion. Her eyes were filled with determination and zero fear. Her footsteps echoed as she moved toward Akirion.

"Hey there, Akirion. Wrong class A—preferably placed in Class A. Let's see if you get the same favor against me," she said with an evil grin, her lips stretching from ear to ear. Her hands prepared for magic.

Akirion slowly looked at her as the boos from the crowd echoed in his mind. His face was emotionless—neither angry nor happy—with his lips in a straight line.

'What is she saying?' Akirion silently wondered as he looked at Aria, who had her fire magic glowing in her hands.

"Ready to fight?" Akirion's face changed into a smile as he asked Aria, ignoring the boos and focusing on his opponent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, open your optics and witness the fire about to erupt on the stage," the announcer announced, and the crowd erupted with cheers and boos—many cheering for Aria, s

een as a strong opponent, while the boos persisted against Akirion.