Felix stood on the field, bouncing slightly on his feet. "Alright… let's see what I can do," he muttered.
The officer raised his hand. "Begin!"
Felix sprinted forward, red lightning sparking at his heels. His speed nearly matched Beatrix's, each step sharp and precise.
Gasps erupted from the sidelines.
"What the hell is that?!"
"I've never seen lightning like that before!"
Felix raised his hand, shaping the sparks into a bow of crackling energy. A grin spread across his face as he drew back the string.
Raze's eyes widened. 'Red lightning… I've never seen or heard of anything like that before.'
Beatrix smirked, folding her arms. "Finally… someone worth competing with."
Felix fired out the arrows. The arrow split into three midair, slamming into the combat robots before bursting in violent flashes of red lightning. The robots collapsed in scorched heaps.
The officer's lips tugged into the faintest smirk. 'Two in a row. Not bad.'
On the strength test, Felix stepped up to the pillar, shooting Beatrix a playful wink. "No way I'm letting someone that good-looking walk out of my sight," he muttered under his breath.
Red lightning sparked around his arm. With a shout, he slammed his fist into the pillar. The explosion left a smoking crater where the stone once stood, debris scattering across the floor.
Raze's began to think. 'That's raw power… and precision. And that guy was talking to me? Even after I told him I'm not from a bloodline?'
Beatrix arched a brow, clearly impressed.
The officer tapped at his tablet. "Strength test complete."
Whispers spread among the teens. Some were in awe, while some was uneasy. Raze glanced at them once, then back to the field. 'If Felix can do that… then I can too. I just need to keep leveling up.'
After finishing the Strength test, Felix moved on to the Speed test. He stood at the starting line, bouncing lightly on his feet as red lightning curled around his body. It wrapped him in a crackling aura, the energy snapping against the ground like it couldn't wait to be unleashed.
"Begin!" the officer barked.
The word had barely left his mouth before Felix shot forward. His body blurred, leaving a streak of red light behind him as the glowing markers lit up in quick succession. Each step came sharp, explosive, carrying him almost neck and neck with Beatrix's record.
At the finish line, Felix skidded to a stop, sparks dancing off his shoulders as he turned back with a grin.
The officer smirked, shaking his head. "Show-off."
Gasps and whispers filled the sidelines.
"No way he's that fast!"
"What bloodline does that?!"
Another teen spoke up, more certain than the rest. "That's the Blaze bloodline. One of the Originals."
Raze frowned slightly at the words. 'Blaze Bloodline? I've never even heard of it…'
Beatrix crossed her arms, her golden eyes narrowing with amusement. 'Red lightning. Hm. Maybe this won't be as dull as I thought.' She glanced briefly at Raze before focusing back on Felix. 'Two people worth paying attention to.'
The officer tapped at his tablet, making notes. Emberfall, a boy with no awakening yet strength beyond normal, and now Blaze. *This batch is turning out more promising than I expected.*
Felix left the track, walking straight toward Raze with a wide grin. "How was that? Impressive, right?"
Raze gave him a nod. "It was impressive, but…" His voice trailed.
He'd always kept track of bloodlines from articles and tournaments. Yet no matter how hard he searched his memory, he'd never seen anything like red lightning Felix had used.
Felix tilted his head, reading the hesitation. "Curious, huh? Let's just say it's not a bloodline that likes being talked about. The fewer that know, the better."
Raze's brows knit together. 'A bloodline that hides itself? What does that even mean?'
Felix didn't say more. He just clapped Raze's shoulder with a laugh. "Don't overthink it. You won't find anyone else like me around here."
Raze stayed quiet, though his thoughts churned. 'A secret bloodline… then Felix isn't just some loudmouth. He might actually be dangerous.'