The open field utilised for combat training was filled with Nexuses the next morning. A large wall on which five enormous screens were mounted, surrounded the field. In the middle of the grass-filled field stood a well elevated podium.
The Nexuses chattered endlessly in wait of instructions on what to do next. Kaleb, Vhrenine and Nyxander were already present well before the field got jam-packed with other Nexuses. Though the three roommates came together, they were soon separated from one another in pursuit of different interests.
Vhrenine sought out the competition. She motioned through the crowd with pure white pupils watching closely to every detail. But she wasn't just looking for anything, she was searching for anyone who stood out or seemed powerful.
She searched for the exceptional. As she walked towards one of the big screens on the left hand side of the field, her vision caught sight of someone she'd rather have not seen.
It can't be him, she said within her mind in disbelief.
She tried to force her way through the crowd that surrounded him to take a closer look at the young man. As she got close enough to see him, his radiant golden eyes greeted her explosively.
He was tall, and had a slender build. His fingers motioned like he caressed the wind with care whenever they moved. To crown it all up, his chestnut coloured hair stood out perfectly to contrast his golden eyes and bright skin.
He was gorgeous.
But he was him and that was very terrible.
He raised up his arm to the crowd surrounding him as if telling them to disperse while smiling shyly.
The crowd of Nexuses through questions at him relentlessly asking if he was royalty.
"Please, please. If you keep roaming around me, it could cause some sort of nuisance in the environment," he said. "I'm as excited as you all are to be here and honestly I would love to meet and discuss with all of you."
Vhrenine gritted her teeth. She hated the little act of nobility he was known to put up, acting like he was the main character of a show. It disgusted her a lot.
People continued to murmur his name as he left their midst.
Unlike the rest, she continued to follow him from behind till he stopped and sat beside another girl.
She stared at the girl for a little moment. Squinting her eyes at the girl, she struggled to make out who she was due to the fact that the colour of her hair was reflecting the sun rays into her eyes.
Regardless, she kept staring at the girl and studied her appearance. She also looked like royalty. In fact she looked like she was related to the boy too. Her white and gold-tipped high ponytail hair flowing down her her shoulders to terminate some length after her buttocks.
She looked even more angelic than he did. But there was something off because though she looked like it, she wasn't calling any attention to herself, neither was she behaving like she was royalty.
The two got her attention. Vhrenine walked to the wall and rested on it some meters away from the bench where they were seated, quietly listening to their conversation.
"It always seems to marvel the neurons that roam my brain as to how many people show up for these exams," the boy said.
The white haired angel looked at him. She scanned his appearance quickly before replying him, "Who the absolute fuck are you?"
"Jelakim Bavados," the boy replied. "You are?"
The girl hesitated. "Akasha," she replied. "Now can you fuck off?"
Jelakim smiled. "Your words are a great contrast to your appearance."
"Oh yeah, pretty boy? What do you want?"
Akasha didn't like interacting so much. To her, all she wanted was her survival and that was the reward she'd get if she passed this exam. She found it unnecessary to make friends or interact on unwarranted cases.
"I'm interested in you," Jelakim answered. "You have an interesting appearance. Is your hair natural?"
Akasha nodded as she rolled her eyes. "What about it?"
"It makes you look like royalty." Jelakim rested his back on the bench's backrest. "Do you feel these people are worthy of the opportunity to become legionnaires?"
Akasha was taken by surprise at the sudden change of subject. "Fuck you mean?"
"Look at them. They have not a single clue what they're about to plunge themselves into. Not to speak of, most people have ridiculous reasons for wanting to become legionnaires. It ridicules the honourable title of 'legionnaire'. Truth be told to you, it irritates me."
"Then what's your reason for doing this?" Akasha stared at him with a little arch on her eyebrows, expressing her little disgust at Jelakim's words. She hated the fact that he had the aura that oozed, 'belittle the unfortunate' in his tone.
"My reason is simple: Domination. I don't just want to become a legionnaire, I want to become the head of the Legion altogether."
"Those are big dreams for some golden-haired boy..."
"I'll have you know I am a prince, not just some ordinary boy. It is my destiny to rule. However, I want to work my way up there on my own without my family's name having anything to do with it." He stood up. "These peasants are irrelevant and only eat up space, causing nuisance to the order of things.
"Truly I say to you that if I had my way, I would rid the earth of these ones without fortune. Of what purpose do you serve if all you do is wallow below the mighty in hope that they can help you, while being a burden? What makes you think you had any chance to become something, 'unfortunate one'?
"I hate all whom misfortune follows because it spreads like a plague. One that is incura—"
Akasha lunged at the prince before he could finish his little speech. Jelakim barely escaped her grasped and skipped back as her fingers pulled out some strands of his hair.
What he hadn't noticed was how much angry the words he spoke made Akasha. People immediately noticed the sharp movements from the two and began to watch.
Jelakim squinted his eyes at Akasha. "What could cause such venom radiate on the surface of your pupils?" He asked, adjusting himself to stand properly.
"You make me sick! It's like I'm going to fucking hurl!" Akasha yelled. "You speak as if the ones in those unfortunate situations are to blame for it while you were born into everything you have! I don't give a shit who you are but if you really think I'm going to let you become a legionnaire so you can spread your messed up ideology, then you're mistaken."
Akasha had broken character. She normally wouldn't care about anything that was said or any other person but her survival, which was the reason for her participation.
But she hated when people looked down on those who life was unfair to. And her reason was simple: she was one of them.
Ultimately, she hated it because she hated her situation enough to hate others who would talk down on people in her shoes.
"What are you going to do to stop me from becoming a legionnaire, 'wild one'?" Jelakim smiled.
"I challenge you to a fight, right-fucking-now!" Akasha fumed. "Let's see how well you'd face off against someone who you adorned as 'unfortunate'!"
"Ah... I see. So you're one of them?" Jelakim smiled. "If my ideology angers you, then come, fight me and let me show you I'm miles stronger than you'd ever be, wild one."
Everyone gave them space and surrounded them watching closely. Vhrenine stood looking for something different from the rest. Unlike most people who were focused on Jelakim to display his ability, she was focused on Akasha.
To her, Akasha appeared to be scarier than Jelakim, whose family was known for their great abilities that spanned over a wide range.
She had an idea about what the Bavados's child's abilities could be, but she was left in the dark when it came to Akasha.
"Yo, Vhrenine," Nyx tapped her from behind. "What's going on? Are they fighting?"
"It appears so," Vhrenine answered.
"I'll give you the first attack, Akasha. Do as you please," Jelakim announced.
Without hesitation, Akasha jumped at him with her fists tightened. She jabbed at the prince almost arm-locking his neck. Jelakim effortlessly evaded the first swing from her arm but couldn't the second.
She moved a lot faster than he had thought. His hand quickly redirected her fist away from his torso, damping her strike. But with her fingers still in range, she grabbed his robe tightly.
Planting her right foot to the ground, shattering it with a single stomp, she made a complete 360 turn and flinged the prince across the field. The entire crowd watched in shock as he flew towards the wall on the other side but were soon distracted by a gust of wind.
Akasha leaped several feet into the air to attack Jelakim even before he made impact with the wall.
She roared loudly to slam the prince well into the concrete wall but was stopped by a flash of lightning that forced her back to the ground.
After the dust from the impact dispersed, Ragnar was seen standing over Akasha, with the prince in her hand.
"What the fuck?" She frowned as she threw the prince to the ground. "What is wrong with you kids anyway? Break it up, alright!"
Akasha and Jelakim stood up.
"You better wish I'm not your opponent in this exam, Jelakim," Akasha warned, "because if you are, you'll get to taste being fucking unfortunate for the first and last time. Who knows, it just might end your graceful life!"
Akasha stormed off into the crowd leaving the prince at the centre of focus for everyone else.
Vhrenine who was still watching whispered to Nyx, "All her attacks were physical... She didn't use a single ounce of aether..."
That fact alone was enough to flood Nyx's entire body with goosebumps because this was just a person out of hundreds he was competing with.
This exam was about to become a great nightmare for him.