The Aurelian Arena was packed. This wasn't just a school gym; it was a massive bowl-shaped stadium built right into the surface of Earth. Thousands of students stood together, their colorful uniforms making the floor look like a giant patchwork quilt.
Above them, the artificial sun—the Aurelian Singularity—shone down with a warm, golden light. It felt like a perfect summer day, even though the "sun" was actually a massive machine sitting where the old sun used to be.
Kaelen stood at the front of House Ignis. He could feel the excitement coming from his friends. Behind him, Leo was bouncing on the balls of his feet, and Mina was checking her red house-ribbon for the tenth time.
The Territory War
The first event was the Territory War. It was a giant virtual reality game. Each house had to capture a glowing pillar in the center of the field.
"Remember," Kaelen whispered to his team as they put on their headsets. "Don't just run for it. Watch how the other houses move."
As the game started, the world around them changed. They were suddenly in a digital forest. Far in the distance, a giant beam of light shot into the sky. That was the goal.
"Move out!" Leo shouted, leading the charge.
But they didn't get far. A cold, blue mist started crawling across the ground. It was House Ventus. Their leader, a boy named Jax, stood on a ridge above them. Jax was a year older and loved to act like he was already a professional soldier.
"Too slow, Red House!" Jax called out. His blue energy was spreading everywhere, making the ground slippery and the air hard to breathe. "You guys are all muscle and no brains. We've already locked down the path."
Kaelen's Idea
The students of House Ignis started to panic. The "cold" from the blue team was making their own energy flicker.
"Kael, we're stuck!" Mina cried out, her silver light dimming. "We can't push through his mist!"
Kaelen closed his eyes. He remembered the trip to the Edge of the Universe. He remembered how the big ships didn't fight against space; they just "folded" it.
"Everyone, grab hands," Kaelen said.
"Now? We're in the middle of a fight!" Leo yelled, but he did it anyway.
"Don't fight the cold," Kaelen told them. "Just imagine the goal is already under our feet. Don't think about the walk. Think about the arrival."
Kaelen let his deep crimson energy flow into his friends. He didn't push against Jax's blue mist. Instead, he did something nobody expected. He used the blue mist like a bridge.
The Shortcut
In a sudden flash of red light, the Ignis team vanished from the forest floor.
Jax blinked, his blue mist hitting nothing but empty air. "Where did they go?"
A massive cheer erupted from the stadium seats. High above on the center platform, right next to the beam of light, stood Kaelen, Mina, and the rest of the Red House team. They had "jumped" right over the obstacles.
"How?!" Jax screamed from below, his face turning red with anger. "That's cheating! You didn't walk the path!"
Kaelen looked down at him from the winner's circle. "The path is just an idea, Jax. We found a shorter one."
The Victory
The digital forest faded away, and the students were back in the real arena. The giant scoreboard showed House Ignis at the top.
Professor Andrew, their physical training teacher, walked over. He looked stunned. He had never seen a five-year-old move energy like that. It wasn't about strength; it was about seeing the world differently.
"Good job, Veyron," Andrew said, though he looked a little worried. "But don't get too comfortable. The History and Finance Debate is next. You can't jump over questions."
Mina bumped Kaelen's shoulder, grinning ear to ear. "I don't know, Kael. I think you're starting to scare the teachers."
Kaelen just smiled. He wasn't trying to scare anyone. He was just finally starting to have fun.