Stepping out of the door, I found myself in a similar hallway as before.
Looking forward to the opening at the end, I felt my heart race.
Walking down the hall, I didn't hear a single sound, as if the world was waiting in anticipation for my arrival.
I stepped out, and light shone on me from all directions.
I blinked before finally opening my eyes to my surroundings.
'Holy shit.'
I was on the stage with a massive crowd of people, all staring in my direction.
"LOOK, HE'S HERE!!"
"IS THAT HIM?!!"
"YOU WERE SO COOL!!"
"TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES!!"
"YEAH YOU LOOKED BETTER WITHOUT THEM!!"
'Damn it.'
I frowned as I looked around. I felt awestruck at all the attention on me. I also noticed some cameras pointing toward me from pedestals.
'Looks like it's live.'
Snapping out of my daze, I looked at the rest of the stage, where the rest of the top 10 were all standing in a line beside a podium.
Emma, Ryan, and Bram waved at me. Nira seemed to be thinking about something else; Liam and Elise had upright postures staring straight ahead, probably because they were nervous, and the rest didn't pay attention to me.
I waved at them and moved toward the podium.
As soon as I stood on the podium, the entire stadium went silent.
"..."
'They're waiting for you to speak.' The Spirit King spoke in my head.
'I know... I'm just thinking of what to say.'
"Haa..." I sighed and pulled the mic to my mouth.
"Okay..." My voice echoed through the speakers, "I won't make this too long, so I'll start by telling you all a little about me."
I smiled. "Firstly, my name is Cassian, but many would refer to me as... Cassian Thorne."
The crowd's expressions twisted with surprise at my words, and so did the top 10's. I almost laughed out loud at Liam's dumbfounded face and the rest's wide eyes.
"DONT TALK SHIT!!" A voice came from the crowd.
"YOU EXPECT US TO BELIEVE THAT!!"
"YEAH THAT PRINCE DIED!!"
Many screamed at me.
"Haa..." I sighed. "I don't care what you all think." My voice echoed through the stadium again.
The crowd went silent.
"It's funny, you know, I was trapped alone in a rift far beyond my rank and yet... I never got any help." I laughed.
"And I'm supposed to be a prince. Someone of importance." I scoffed, "So imagine how I felt when I escaped after nearly dying countless times and even losing an arm, only to find out... I was pronounced dead."
I paused, letting that sink in.
"But you know what... I don't give a shit." My tone grew sharper. "I don't give a fuck about the fact that my own so-called family left me to die."
I gazed directly into one of the cameras.
"And I know you are watching this... Sea King."
"So listen up."
I pulled the mic closer to my mouth.
"FUCK YOU."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
The entire stadium was silent.
I had just cussed at one of the world's most powerful beings.
I smiled, looking at the faces of the people below.
Their expressions were hilarious.
"Oh, and I'm not done." My smile widened.
"The entire Thorne Royal Family... CAN SUCK MY DICK." I showed my middle finger.
This time, I didn't hold back my laugh.
The crowd's facial expressions were too funny.
'You're really something.' The Spirit King commented.
'Thanks.'
'It wasn't a complime-'
"So everyone else watching this, nobles, commoners... and royalty. Listen to my words."
"From now on, my name... is just Cassian."
The crowd erupted.
"NO FUCKING WAY!!"
"FUCK OFF YOU LITTLE SHIT!!"
"HOW DARE YOU INSULT THE THORNE ROYAL FAMILY?!!"
"Calm yourselves." A calm voice came.
In an instant, everything went silent. No, it would be accurate to say the sound itself was sucked out of the stadium.
Looking to my side, I saw a tall woman with long black hair in an extravagant blue dress and high heels. She was, without a doubt, a beauty.
'That woman is quite impressive.' The Spirit King complimented her.
'Yeah, she's the Arcanis Vice Headmaster.'
I hadn't expected her to interrupt, but I appreciated it nonetheless.
"Thank you." I bowed.
"It's no problem, child... but I think you've said enough."
I smiled, "Yes, I think so too." I was about to step down from the podium, but I paused.
'Oh yeah.'
I quickly grabbed the mic.
"I forgot to say, but I'll be attending Aethon, so I'd appreciate your love and support." I winked and made a heart with my hands before getting off the podium.
I walked toward the other top 10 with a smile and stood right next to Liam.
They all stared at me with hilarious expressions.
"You guys look really stupid right now," I commented.
------
The ceremony didn't last very long after my incredible speech.
They introduced all the top 100 of the exam and gave them a chance to present themselves on stage.
It was more or less to congratulate all those who had gotten into an academy, but the hype was significantly lower than usual.
Because of me.
After my speech, the crowd was left stunned, and their gazes were fixed on me for most of the ceremony.
Eventually, we all stepped off the stage and gathered back in the main hall from before.
"You all will be taken to your respective academies soon." A worker spoke.
Although no one really paid attention, everyone was focused on me.
The entire hall of 350 applicants who had been accepted into an academy was all sneaking glances in my direction, some just stared at me outright.
It didn't really bother me.
'Yes, admire me more peasants.'
'...'
My vision began to blur, and my surroundings changed.
Blinking a couple of times, I found myself in a large ballroom, surrounded by other applicants.
Although I could tell the place was warm, my body still felt cold, and I was actively trying to hide the fact that I was shivering.
The ballroom was massive, with tables neatly placed on all sides with pillars that stretched to the ceiling. The smell of food seemed to caress my nostrils with its heavenly scent.
'Food!'
I immediately rushed in the direction of the smell, ignoring all the stares in my direction.
'Oh, thank you. God, thank you.'
In front of me stood a large platter of foods that stretched from desserts of all kinds to food that made me salivate.
The smell was amazing.
I immediately grabbed a nearby sushi roll and stuffed it in my mouth.
"Oh, my god." I shed a tear.
It was too good.
I then took a plate and began filling it with every food on the table, and began eating away like there was no tomorrow, crying with pure joy.
"It's too good!" My voice came out muffled as I stuffed my face.
Keep in mind, up until then, I hadn't gotten a proper meal, so you can imagine how tired and hungry I was.
The last meal I had was a fucking raw fish given by a bear.
Which somehow kept me full until this point.
Regardless, I didn't care to even notice the stares coming from all directions and continued my meal.