"Time." Belno Light whispered as she ran past the finish line, before she immediately began slowing down. Her finger twitched as she pressed down onto a stopwatch she didn't hold. And once she fully stopped, she instinctively turned to the left, staring at the place where Kitahara or Musaka would normally be.
The spot was empty. There was no one to greet her but the whistling of the passing winds.
She took a small breath.
It was no surprise. It was late into the night by this point, and she really should be asleep by now. No-, more than that, she shouldn't even be training right now. The [Champions Cup] was only a week away—she should be spending the week resting and preparing for her next upcoming race.
But she couldn't help herself. Even when she tried, sleep had evaded her, and she eventually decided to go on a run to clear her head.
It wasn't working.
She let loose the breath she'd been holding, watching as the mist danced into the night. It was December now, and the night was only getting colder. She shivered slightly, but the cold did little to snuff the feelings burning in her chest.
She was angry.
Not at anyone in particular, nor at anything specific. It's just-, the whole situation after the [Japan Cup] had just been overwhelming. The incredible honor of witnessing three Domains clashing, Oguri and Star's injuries following the race, her speculation regarding Star's past, training for her own [Champions Cup], her ponderings over what she should do about the [Arima Kinen]--
It was just a lot. With Star and Oguri incapable of racing for the time being, and March still adjusting to her new environment, it left Belno as the sole active member of Team Kitahara.
Yet-!
"It's not enough." She whispered, clenching her fists. Her eyes, usually a light hazel, burnt like boiling magma. "Not fast enough." She knew she couldn't ever be as fast as Oguri, or as steady as Star—she'd known that from the very beginning. She'd long thought she had accepted it.
But after seeing Oguri and Star push through the world-shaking pressure of three Domains had stirred a feeling she hadn't felt in what felt like forever.
She wanted to run with them. She wanted to run against them. She wanted these legs of hers to be able to match the strength of legends.
She didn't want to settle being 3rd anymore.
But that was impossible. She hadn't hit her limit yet, but she knew she'd probably never catch up to Oguri and Star as she was now. Her growth wasn't as dramatic as those two, and the tactics she prided herself on was practically useless against Star's Great Escape and Oguri's Great Chase.
Or at least, it should be impossible.
Because the [Japan Cup] had shown her the way forward.
"Domain…" She whispered, glancing down at her legs.
The [Japan Cup] was the first time she'd ever heard of the term, but apparently it was something most veterans knew. A mystical state of being; a moment of absolute synchrony between the body and the heart, further empowered by the blessing of the Three Goddesses. Entering a Domain made an umamusume far stronger than they previously were at the cost of extreme exhaustion.
But she wasn't interested in the Domain itself. Rather, she couldn't help but fixate on one piece of information Musaka had told her about.
"The Awakening of a Domain shattered the Limits of an umamusume." That was what Musaka had told her when she asked about Tamamo Cross once. "It'll be a day in hell if the gal doesn't make use of her second wind." It was why Musaka was absolutely certain that Tamamo would appear in the [Arima Kinen], despite it being so close to the [Japan Cup].
A second wind!
That was exactly what Belno needed. Her current Limits were just too low, and she would never be able to catch up to Oguri and Star if she remained constrained. And to break that Limit, she needed to achieve her own Domain.
Of course, that was easier said than done. The Domain wasn't some Skill an umamusume could just learn. It was a state of being—a form of enlightenment only achieved by those who could disregard everything but the need to race forth. In a way, only the greediest umamusume could attain a Domain of her own.
Well, here's the thing,
Despite having never heard the concept of Domains until the [Japan Cup], it wasn't the first time she'd come across the Limits of her body.
It took some time, but she realized that the Limits Musaka had described was that odd, monolithic wall she first saw at the end of the [All Comers]. Ever since that rest, every time she went to practice, she'd always caught glimpses of that wall—a constant obstacle that stopped her from running any faster.
At first, it seemed hopeless. What could she ever do against something so monolithic? Compared to that wall, she was nothing but an ant. What was she to think that she could go against the Limits set by the Three Goddesses themselves?
She knew she was being greedy. Though she was an umamusume, she wasn't particularly gifted when it came to racing. Really, it was a miracle she'd gotten this far in the first place.
But she hadn't let the impossible stop her before, so why should it stop her now?
She took another deep breath as she gazed forward across the track, and she pursed her lips. "One more lap." She quietly promised herself, knowing full well that she'd likely break it. She took a few steps back, and after shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she raced down the track for another lap.
Once again, she ran forward with all her might, disregarding all the tactics she'd built up over the past year. She let her legs carry her forward as the night winds passed her by, with the stars above as her sole audience.
And there, bathed in the chill of the night, she saw it once more.
The monolith that represented her Limits, splayed with all its splendor in the darkness of her own mind. She grit her teeth as she tried running faster, exerting as much strength as she could against that wall.
It refused to budge. Her Limits shackled her. Her body refused to go any further, fearing for self-destruction.
Yet she tried anyway. She pushed and pushed and pushed. Her head was screaming at her to stop, and she had to grit her teeth as she braved the growing headache she felt. It was clear that she wasn't welcome here, and that her efforts only served to fray her own consciousness.
She tried anyway.
And then, for a brief moment, she had an epiphany. An alternative path she could take; a possibility that could lead to new horizons.
But as quickly as it came, it went away. And when she blinked, she belatedly realized that she'd just ran across the finish line, having completed another lap. She quickly turned back and stared for a moment, surprised that she'd somehow ran across the entire track without realizing it.
Before she could think any further on it though, she gasped as she took a step back. Her face was drenched with sweat, and her legs shook slightly, having withstood that reckless running she just did. She felt like she was seconds away from experiencing a heart attack.
But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a giddiness spreading through her chest. The exact details about her epiphany were long gone by this point, but the feeling of triumphant realization remained within her, gently seeping into her bones. Even if she didn't quite know what it was, there was another path. There was something she could do to finally begin catching up to Oguri and Star.
The only thing she could now do was to see if she could recreate that moment.
She quickly wiped her face, and glancing at the track, she smiled wryly. "One more time." She whispered again, and after taking a few seconds to breathe, she grinned as she ran down the track once more.