BlackCrown

Reason being it would allow the younger students to see what their older peers were capable of. Having an EXO ability is one thing knowing how to use it is one thing, but having control over it is another. The difference in skill was not due to the EXO ability you have, but experience.

With the elder students going up first, the younger ones would gain experience just by watching them duel it out. While many of the younger students may not gain anything from just watching, the ones that did would benefit greatly.

After parting ways with Freya and Alyson, Nick and Matthew headed back to their room. The two of them were both exhausted from the dancing and talking, so they were ready to just lay down on their beds.

Matthew yawned and covered his mouth with his hand as they entered the room. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, trying to stay awake.

"You want to head in first?"

Matthew pointed towards the bathroom that was left wide open. While he was sleepy, he could wait it out a little longer until Nick finished.

Nick shook his head. He could tell how sleepy Matthew was, so how could he go first? Best let him go in so he could get some rest. Nick was used to staying up late, he was not sleepy.

Nick was tired, but not sleepy. He tired from the long trip, dancing and chatting with everyone. It was still pretty early for him, he"d use this time to meditate a bit.

Nick could feel that he was close to furthering his EXO ability, Providence. His goal was to develop it so he could see into the future. His sensei told him the steps needed to advance his EXO into the direction he wanted. The only thing Nick had trouble with was advancing.

He followed every step, he tempered his eyesight, and he reached the end of the path. His next advancement into his EXO would not be foresight, but something different. It was a basic version of foresight, one that did not have all the abilities of the latter. It was the first step into developing into the actual foresight.

First, he would advance, then learn how to control his new abilities. After Nick would have to train and temper his eyes once more before he made his final advancement.

However, he was stuck.

Matthew did not say anything as he grabbed another set of clothes and a towel. He headed straight for the bathroom.

The other two boys in their room were both asleep so Matthew was careful not to make too much noise. He"d hate it if his sleep was disturbed, so he would not try to interrupt others sleep.

While Matthew was in the shower Nick sat on his bed with his legs crossed and eyes closed. He was doing image training as he pictured himself fighting against his sensei.

Nick lost every fight, but he never stopped. When he fell, he dusts himself off and fought again.

"I"m done, you can go in now."

Matthew"s words woke Nick up as he walked past Nick"s bed with dirty clothes in his arms.

Nick opened his eyes and uncrossed his legs. He leaned over the side of his bed and unzipped his suitcase as he grabbed a few clothes.

The windows in the bathroom was still foggy from the steam the shower emitted. Nick undressed and grabbed his shower gel as he headed into the shower.

It was a walk in shower with a see-through gla.s.s. Nick turned on the n.o.b and let the water run. The water was slightly hot as it hit his body.

Nick let out a long breath as he placed both his hands against the wall. His head hung underneath the shower head as the water continued to fall. Nick"s brown hair was soaked, but his body was relaxed.

Thoughts and ideas that cleansed Nick"s mind vanish. His worries went away as the water dripped off his body. He was in a relaxed state, with nothing to worry about. He couldn"t hide the fact of how good this shower felt to him.

As he closed his eyes and enjoyed his shower, a strange sensation came over him. Images flashed through his eyes like a video was playing. Nick"s eyes started to have this burning feeling. He rubbed his eyes, but the feeling wouldn"t go away.

Seconds turned into minutes, but the feeling didn"t stop. Nick felt like he lost track of time as he endured the pain. When the burning sensation finally came to a halt, Nick was relieved.

"What was that?"

Nick squinted his eyes as he tried to recall what just occurred. The images that appeared clear as day, he could no longer remember them. It was like he never saw them in the first place. This was the first time something like this ever happened.

He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn"t worried. If this happened again, what would he do? What if it occurred during a fight?

Nick never experienced this before, but he knew he needed to calm down. The more he worried about it, the worse he"d become.

Tomorrow he"d ask his mother about it, they both had the same ability so maybe she knew. Nick did not like asking for help, but he had a feeling this was not something he could overcome on his on. There was only so much one person could accomplish.

Turning off the water Nick headed out of the shower and grabbed his towel. Drying himself off from top to bottom, he threw on his underwear and shorts. Leaving his upper half exposed he left the bathroom.

Nick put his clothes away and laid down on his bed. Both hands interlocked behind his head as he looked up towards the ceiling. It was plain white, but calming to the eyes. Nick just stared at it with no thoughts clouding his mind.

Eventually, his eyes closed as he drifted off to sleep.

"Come back here Nick!"

A little girl with long blonde hair chased after Nick. Her body covered with mud, ruining her white floral dress. She laughed as she chased after Nick, trying to get him dirty as well.

"No! Stay away, you"re dirty."

A young version of Nick yelled out at the little girl as he continued to run. He ran in a circular path, but the little girl behind him did not seem to pay attention. Her only focus was on him.

"If you don"t stop i"ll get upset!"

The little blonde haired girl stopped and stomped her small feet. Nick continued to run from her, she was tired! She did not show it as she wanted Nick to lower his guard. It worked as Nick stopped too, only a few feet away from her.

"I don"t care! You"re trying to dirty me for no reason."

"It"s because you made fun of me."

The little girl snorted as she crossed her arms.

"It"s only right I pay you back!"

She pounced towards Nick, this was the moment she was waiting for. Her arms spread out as she tossed her body forward. Her pretty little face covered in mud hit something.

She tried to move forward but couldn"t.

Nick had his hand outstretched blocking her from coming forward.

"Look at you too, so cute. Nick, Alex look this way and smile at the camera."

A young woman with long brown hair held a camera in her hands as she kneeled on the ground. A moment like this may never come again it was best to save it.

She smiled as she took pictures of the two little kids. Seeing them like this she couldn"t help but laugh.

"I wish I had a friend like Alex growing up. Treat her better Nick."

The young woman patted little Nick on the head as she got up. She smiled and looked down at the two little kids. How she wished she had someone like that growing up. If she did, things could have turned out differently.

"Mom! Don"t take her side."

Nick pointed his free hand at his mother, Olivia. He was upset she took Alex"s side instead of his. It was always like this, she always treated Alex better than him.

Alex who was still trying to grab hold of Nick was all smiles.

"Ya, treat me better!"

Olivia just continued to laugh.

The scene distorted as the seasons changed. The leaves on the trees were falling down one by one, as Nick wrapped himself in a checkered scarf.

He watched as the little blonde haired girl threw leaves into the air without worry.

"Alex, it"s time to head back. Mom will be worried if we don"t."

Nick walked up to Alex and tried to grab her shoulder. She started to pout as Nick was ruining her fun. He always did that!

"What are you worrying about? You"ll protect me right?"

Alex had that look in her eyes, one that Nick fell for everytime. He sighed, why was she so cute?

"Whatever! But we"re leaving in ten more minutes."

Nick gave up trying to get Alex to leave the park with him. It was still a bit early, and they did not need to be back for lunch anytime soon.

Alex grinned as she pulled on Nick"s arm. The two of them fell into the pile of leaves on the ground. Alex was giggling while Nick was upset.

"Alex!"

Nick jumped on her, but she did not go down easy. The two little kids rolled around getting all dirty. Both enjoying the moment.

"What are you doing?"

A voice asked the two of them causing Alex and Nick to cease all movement. Both of them looked and saw a little girl wearing a black coat with long black hair and black eyes.

"Playing, what"s it to ya?"

Alex pushed Nick off her as she wondered who this girl was.

"My dad says only little children play, so you two are children. No wonder!"

The little black haired girl crossed her arms as she looked at both Nick and Alex.

Alex"s cheeks turned red. She was a child, so what? She did not need to be reminded of it. Alex pointed her finger at the black haired girl.

"You"re a child too!"

"No, i"m not! I"m an adult."

The black haired girl pouted as she stomped her feet.

"You are the same as me! If i"m a child, you"re a child. There"s nothing wrong with playing, your dad is wrong."

Alex rolled her eyes at the black haired girl.

Shocked filled the black haired girls face, leaving her mouth wide open.

"M-my dads never wrong! You"re the one that"s wrong. Humph, I don"t care anymore i"m leaving."

The little black-haired girl turned around and started to walk away.

"That"s it? Leaving after you"re defeated? That"s what children do!"

Alex started teasing the black haired girl. It worked too as the black haired girl halted her steps.

Nick could have sworn he saw steam rise from her face when the black-haired girl turned around. Her face was red and her fist was clenched together.

"You"re so annoying!"

The black haired girl whined.

Nick started laughing, he did not really know why he just did. He held his stomach and started to laugh. Alex laughed along with Nick, but the black-haired girl did not.

"You want to play with us?"

Nick wiped the tears of joy from his face while he asked the black haired girl.

"Me? Play? No way!"

The black haired girl pointed towards herself and shook her head. She was an adult, there was no need for her to play. Only children played around, she knew this because her father told her.

Her father was famous, strong and powerful. Everyone looked up to him, so how could he be wrong when he told her something?

"It"ll be fun! Come on, no one will know."

Alex stepped forward and gave the black haired girl the same look she gave Nick. A look that was hard to resist even for the black haired girl. She tried to fight it, but she couldn"t.

"Fine! But i"m just watching over you as an adult."

Both Nick and Alex laughed at the girls reply.

"What"s your name?"

Nick asked her.

"I"m Rachel, who are you?"

"I"m Nick and this is Alex, want to be friends?"

Everything changed as the three of them grew a year older. The heat was blazing as sweat dripped off their faces.

Nick stood a distance away while Alex and Rachel faced off against each other. Both had anger in their eyes.

"Why are you two fighting?"

Nick whined but shut his mouth quickly as the glare from Rachel and Alex were both deadly.

"Shut up, this has nothing to do with you!"

"Ya, be quiet Nick!"

Both Alex and Rachel stood in front of each other. Their small fist balled up and the air around them was tense.

"Take back what you said!"

Alex was the first one to say anything as she stomped her little feet against the ground. Rachel said something horrible and Alex wanted her to apologize for it.

Rachel snorted and crossed her arms.

"No! It"s the truth!"

Rachel was not going to back down. She backed down before, but not this time.

"Then don"t blame me anymore!"

Alex threw her fist towards Rachel, hitting her right in the center of her face. Rachel was stunned at first, but soon reacted with a fist of her own.

The two girls started hitting each other, pulling hair and calling each other names.

Nick wanted them to stop, but he"d die if he were to enter the fight now. He did not even know what they were fighting about. Nick should have listened to Vance when Vance told him girls were trouble. This is what Vance meant.

Nick held his head in his palms as he debated over whether or not he should jump in.

Nick started to have his stomach turn, and he felt something bad was going to happen. His hazel colored eyes turned icy blue as he watched the two girls duel.

A bright light entered his vision causing him to squint his eyes.

Nick"s sensei told him about this! It was when a person awakened their EXO ability, they would have an eruption of essence emerge from their body. Nick just could not tell which of the two was going through this. Was it Rachel or was it, Alex?

When Nick could finally see clearly, his eyes grew big. Blood, all he saw was blood.

Rachel stood tall with a lance in her hand. Blood dripped from the tip of the lance, as she looked down at Alex. Her small hands were a bit shaken at the sight.

Alex had her eyes wide open too, she was in shock. Not believing she was pierced.

Nick rushed to her side and held her in his arms. Blood just continued to flow out of Alex"s wound. Her little hands gripped onto Nick"s but slowly lost life.

Nick was enraged he glared up at Rachel.

Words came out of his mouth, however, no sound followed. Rachel started yelling and laughing but the sound was also inaudible.

Nick his heart race as he jumped up. His body filled with sweat as he looked at his hands. There was no one in his arms, no blood on his hands. No Rachel, no Alex.

"You alright there man?"

A voice asked from Nick"s side. It was the other roommate he had.

Nick looked at the young man, but the feeling he had from before was slowly fading away.

"I"m fine."

"You sure? You don"t look fine. You were sweating bullets and calling out a name… Alex if I heard correctly."

The young man knew something was wrong with Nick. Not that he should care much, but he could not leave Nick alone. Nick had a nightmare it seemed, and one that really hurt him.

"I said i"m fine."

Nick did not raise his voice but spoke in a mild tone. He got up from his bed and went into the bathroom as he turned on the water. Water filled both his palms as he splashed it on his face.

Nick started to take deep breaths to help calm himself down.

He did not know how long he slept for, but he could already tell it was going to be a long night.

☆☆☆☆☆

The next morning arrived, and Nick sprung up from his bed. After that dream, he slept like a baby. He felt refreshed and energetic.

Nick got dressed quickly and waited for Matthew to finish dressing. From the footsteps he was hearing in the hallway, he could tell everyone was rushing to get a seat.

Matthew came out of the bathroom wearing his uniform.

"Alright, let"s win this thing."

Pumping himself up as he slammed his fist into his hand.

Nick watched the scene and let out a small laugh. Matthew was not even partic.i.p.ating in today"s matches, so what was he getting fired up for?

"Don"t laugh! Today is the biggest, most important event of our freshman lives! Imagine how many people are going to watch us, doesn"t that excite you? I"m not going easy on anyone, if I can get scouted by a high ranking figure it"ll increase my chances of becoming a crusader. You too, don"t hold back. If you really want to become a special forces officer then this is your chance to prove to everyone you are worthy."

Matthew had a serious look on his face, he really wanted to show everyone he was talented. Nick did not realize how serious Matthew took to becoming a crusader. For him, becoming a special forces officer was just a way to help his mother. Cure her, that"s what his whole journey was about.

Nick sort of envied Matthew, he could pick and choose what he wanted to do in life. Nick… he did not have that luxury. He could, but what sort of son would he be, if he could not help his only mother?

Matthew placed both his hands on Nick"s shoulder as he looked into Nick"s hazel eyes.

"I"m serious, i"m not rich enough to buy my way into the crusaders, and I don"t believe you are rich enough to get a spot in the special forces with just money. Chances like these don"t come by often, think. We are only given this opportunity because we are ahead of the others in our year. They have to fight their way up the ladder."

For the students who did not have a chance to compete today, it would be a loss. They would not get a chance to show off their EXO abilities, nor would anyone pay attention to them. All the attention would be focused on the ones partic.i.p.ating, so their chances to get noticed would greatly increase.

If any of the high ranking members in society gave them a look, it would better their chances of becoming one of the elites. Their goals would not just be dreams anymore, they"d have a chance to become reality.

For Nick, Matthew and any other freshman that was partic.i.p.ating their real journey started here.

Nick looked into Matthew"s green eyes and nodded his head.

"I understand."

Nick was not going to take it easy in the first place, he had to complete the bet he made with Violet. Rachel needed to be taught a lesson.

Before he entered the academy, Nick"s only goal was to become a special forces officer. He wanted to so he could save his mother, cure her of her disability. Klyde was going to be his help. The other professions, Nick never even bothered looking at them.

What if there was some other way he could cure his mother? Nick did not need to rely on Klyde for the treatment. There were bound to be others who could treat his mother as well.

Nick felt stupid, he over thought everything.

Seeing how Nick nodded, Matthew grinned and threw his arm around Nick"s neck.

"Then let"s go!"

☆☆☆☆☆

The cheering from the stands pierced through the walls and entered the building. A person could feel the rumbling caused by the stomps of feet.

When Nick entered the stands he did not go find the people in charge for his school. He went to find his mother instead, he needed to talk to her. There were a few thoughts in his head so parted ways with Matthew and looked for his family.

In the sky was four floating tv screen. Three of them showed ground below where the students would be competing against each other. The other one showed the names of each academy and their ranking.

Every academy would gain points, no matter if the student partic.i.p.ating lost or won. The number of points would vary on that student"s placement.

A bald man with pale skin and a smooth mustache appeared on all four screens. He was wearing a purple suit with a mic in his hand. The lights flashed on him and the sounds of drums beating could be heard.

"Are you ready?"

The bald man spun around and struck a poise. His voice was heard in the stands and the spectators started to roar.

"I can"t hear you! I said are you ready?"

Spinning around again, he leaned down a little and placed his hand over his ear. This time the roars from the crowd was much louder than the last, you could feel it in your chest.

"Me too! As you know the twelve G.o.d compet.i.tion last four days, with students of each year partic.i.p.ating in events. I"m not going to drag on any longer, we shall start the first event now. King Me!"

The bald man pulled out a golden crown and placed it on his head as he grinned.

The ground where the students would fight started to change, as pillars rose from the ground. Each pillar taller than the last, when the final pillar emerged it held a golden crown on it.

The spectator"s eyes grew large as they were attracted to the golden crown.

"The rules are simple, grab the crown and hold it for two minutes or eliminate everyone else."

Below the stands is an area reserved for Demeter Academy, the students partic.i.p.ating this year had a look of surprise on their faces. This was the first time they"ve encountered this sort of event.

"Fred, you"re up."

Alicia pointed towards Fred as she blinked her blue eyes. No one said anything, as she was in charge of this year"s events. She decided who would partic.i.p.ate in what event.

Alicia pushed her blonde hair behind her ear as she looked out towards the stage. She was sure the other academies would send out elites for this match. Alicia was smart and took calculated risk, if she was right then Demeter would have a good chancing to place within the top three.

They could only send out one person for each event, sending Fred in first would have them gain an advantage. However, they wouldn"t be able to use him for any other events.

This year"s talent for Demeter was not bad, Alicia thought she could afford using Fred at the beginning.

Fred nodded his head and headed towards the exit. His eyes started to burn with fire with each step he took.

Who would appear on the stage? Who would challenge him? Who would be a victim to the "Immortal"?