Chapter 565: Stray Dog at the Starting Line
Chapter 565: Stray Dog at the Starting Line
The competitor’s lounge had decent air conditioning. I sat with my back against the wall, watching the other contestants through half-closed eyes while pretending to rest. Old habits from a previous life. Never let them see you watching. Never let them know you’re already three moves ahead.
Isabelle turned a page in her ancient book without looking up. "You’re not sleeping."
"Neither are you."
"I don’t require sleep before competitions. My body operates on willpower alone."
"That sounds medically concerning."
"It concerns my enemies. That’s sufficient."
Juan snored from his couch. The sound vibrated through the room at a frequency that should have been illegal. Raphael stopped pacing long enough to glare at the unconscious strategist.
"How does he do that? We have the biggest event of our lives in forty minutes and he’s dreaming about clouds or whatever."
"Juan’s brain never stops working," I said. "He’s probably running battle simulations while unconscious."
"That’s terrifying."
"That’s why we keep him around."
The door opened. Hikari bounced in with enough energy to power a small city. Behind her, Marco carried two protein shakes the size of fire extinguishers.
"Satori! You crushed the simulation!" Hikari launched herself at me with zero warning. I caught her reflexively. Her arms wrapped around my neck hard enough to threaten structural damage.
"Thanks. Can’t breathe."
"Breathing is for losers! Winners hold their breath and push through!"
"That’s not how biology works."
"Biology is also for losers!"
Marco peeled her off me with the practiced ease of someone who’d done this approximately one thousand times before. Hikari transferred her death grip to his arm instead.
"Forty minutes until the obstacle course," Marco said. "You ready?"
"Born ready."
"That’s the spirit! Though I think Reyna’s been doing nothing but cardio for the past six months. Her stamina is insane."
"So is mine."
Hikari giggled. The sound carried implications I chose to ignore.
The door opened again. This time it was Jaime. Shirtless. Flexing. Predictable.
"MY FRIENDS! I come bearing news from the arena above!" He struck a pose that made his muscles do things muscles probably shouldn’t do. "The crowd is ELECTRIC! They chant your name, Satori! They demand BLOOD and GLORY!"
"They probably just want to see me trip on the obstacle course."
"NEGATIVE! They want to witness GREATNESS! They want to see the STRAY DOG devour the CRIMSON COMET!"
"Please stop yelling."
"I CANNOT! THE SPIRIT OF COMPETITION BURNS TOO BRIGHT WITHIN ME!"
Isabelle finally looked up from her book. "Jaime. If you don’t moderate your volume, I will introduce my spear to your vocal cords."
Jaime paused. Considered. Sat down with remarkable quietness.
The minutes ticked by. I ate more protein. Drank more water. Listened to my teammates discuss strategy and odds and the thousand little details that went into surviving a competition designed to break people.
Twenty minutes before the event, Natalia appeared in the doorway. She wore her combat suit. Her hair was tied back in a severe ponytail that emphasized the sharp lines of her face. The white streaks at her temples caught the fluorescent lighting.
"Private word."
I stood. Followed her into the corridor. Noah gave us space but didn’t go far. Professional paranoia in action.
Natalia pressed me against the wall. Her body molded to mine. Her hands found my chest and stayed there.
"The obstacle course has no Aspects allowed."
"I know."
"Pure physical conditioning. Speed. Strength. Endurance."
"I know."
"Reyna has been training for this specific event for months. Her instructors are former Olympic athletes. Her conditioning program was designed by the same people who train professional Hunter teams."
"And?"
"And you’re a C-Rank nobody who manifested his Aspect six months ago."
"Wow. Harsh."
"Accurate."
"Also harsh."
Her fingers traced the line of my jaw. Cold from the Cryo-Lich Ring. Burning from something else entirely.
"I’ve watched you train for two months. Your body isn’t normal. Your recovery isn’t normal. Your stamina isn’t normal."
"Thanks?"
"It’s not a compliment. It’s an observation." She leaned closer. Her lips brushed my ear. "You’re hiding something. You’ve always been hiding something. And I don’t care what it is as long as you win."
"Natalia..."
"Shut up. I’m not finished." Her teeth found my earlobe. Bit down gently. "Win. Come back to me. Let me reward you properly."
"Define properly."
"Victory first. Definitions after."
She kissed me. Quick. Possessive. A promise wrapped in pressure.
Then she was gone. Walking back toward the arena with the confident stride of someone who knew exactly how much power she held over me.
Noah appeared at my shoulder. "The event begins in fifteen minutes. We should return to the staging area."
"Right. Yeah. Good idea."
My brain needed a moment to reboot. Natalia had that effect.
The staging area for the obstacle course looked completely different from the simulation chamber. Open air. Natural sunlight. The actual arena surrounded us with rising tiers of seats packed with screaming spectators. Maximus Hype’s voice echoed from speakers positioned everywhere.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE SECOND EVENT OF THE DAY IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! THE OBSTACLE COURSE! WHERE ASPECTS ARE FORBIDDEN AND ONLY PURE PHYSICAL PROWESS DETERMINES THE VICTOR!"
The course stretched out before us. Climbing walls. Balance beams over pools of water. Cargo nets. Rope swings. Tunnels filled with what looked like foam padding but probably wasn’t. The whole thing snaked through the arena floor in a serpentine path that would test every muscle group simultaneously.
Fifty competitors lined up at the starting zone. I spotted Reyna near the front. Her crimson hair burned in the sunlight. Her broken arm was wrapped in a regeneration sleeve that hummed with medical technology. She caught me looking. Smiled. The expression promised violence.
Julian stood further back. His hand brace made him hold his arm at an awkward angle. His eyes found mine. Pure hatred. I winked.
"ALL COMPETITORS TO THE STARTING LINE! REMEMBER: ASPECTS ARE STRICTLY FORBIDDEN! ANY USE OF SUPERNATURAL ABILITIES WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION! THIS IS A TEST OF THE BODY! THE MIND! THE SPIRIT!"
I moved to my assigned position. Third row back. Not ideal but not terrible. The competitors around me ranged from fellow Hounds to Sentinels to Phantoms to students from guilds I didn’t recognize. All of them looked nervous. All of them looked fast.
"ON MY MARK!"
Muscles tensed throughout the starting zone. Breaths held. Hearts pounding.
"THREE!"
Reyna dropped into a sprinter’s crouch. Her eyes locked on the first obstacle.
"TWO!"
Julian leaned forward despite his injury. Determination etched into every line of his aristocratic face.
"ONE!"
My body found its rhythm. Years of training in another life. Months of pushing this new form beyond its limits. Everything focused on the space between heartbeats.
"GO!"