Norval entered the hotel through the front entrance. He appeared to be too fatigued to walk, as if he had chosen to run from the sports complex to the hotel rather than take the bus. With a cheerful greeting, the receptionist welcomed him in. Norval couldn't help but try to match the receptionist's enthusiasm, but his response was so blunt that it almost came out as mocking.
“How are you doing Mr. Norval?” the receptionist inquired, holding out his hand in anticipation of a handshake. Norval reached out with a tired, depleted hand that hadn't seen much action since his admission to the hospital. Norval gave the receptionist a wobbly handshake, and the receptionist could see Norval was attempting to grip tightly.He deduced, "You're still healing, isn't it?" “I am not totally recovered,” Norval said with a smile as he removed his hand." To get back into shape, I'll need some strength training and rehab, but atFathers in the Kingdom seemed to have a societal standard of being brutal and heartless. Any youngster will tell you how his father raised him, unless he was never raised in the first place. That was not the case for Ithea's candidates. The most well-known victim of this craze was none other than Luciana, the kingdom's princess. Her father was vicious, despotic in his heart, and only cared about himself. Regardless, it appeared as if he found joy in hurting his victims and his own children.Norval's father was no different. He was ruthless to the same degree as Luciana's father. He wanted nothing more than to see his ideas succeed, and if they didn't, he'd be on the verge of losing his mind. He was enamoured with his accomplishments and wished for his sons to follow in his footsteps. He ran a chemical corporation that mass-produced potions and elixirs for sch
Norval entered the hotel through the front entrance. He appeared to be too fatigued to walk, as if he had chosen to run from the sports complex to the hotel rather than take the bus. With a cheerful greeting, the receptionist welcomed him in. Norval couldn't help but try to match the receptionist's enthusiasm, but his response was so blunt that it almost came out as mocking.“How are you doing Mr. Norval?” the receptionist inquired, holding out his hand in anticipation of a handshake. Norval reached out with a tired, depleted hand that hadn't seen much action since his admission to the hospital. Norval gave the receptionist a wobbly handshake, and the receptionist could see Norval was attempting to grip tightly.He deduced, "You're still healing, isn't it?"“I am not totally recovered,” Norval said with a smile as he removed his hand." To get back into shape, I'll need some strength training and rehab, but at
Nelanian found it difficult to open his eyes. The sun shone brightly in the morning, and the birds outside the shanty couldn't stop singing. He finally succumbed to their annoying alarms and decided to get up. Over the last three days, his headaches had gotten worse, and his hand had gotten even worse. The twitching became more frequent and intense. Everything appeared to be going wrong for him at that point.When he went outside, he noticed that the weather was calmer than it had been on previous days. The trees hadnot been ripped out of theirtheir roots, and the sunrise was visible on the horizon, unlike the last days that were filled with violent storms. He noticed that the market had already been renovated and that most of the stalls were up and running as he glanced downwards towards the village. Nelanian beat off the dust on his trousers and
Nelanian found it difficult to open his eyes. The sun shone brightly in the morning, and the birds outside the shanty couldn't stop singing. He finally succumbed to their annoying alarms and decided to get up. Over the last three days, his headaches had gotten worse, and his hand had gotten even worse. The twitching became more frequent and intense. Everything appeared to be going wrong for him at that point.When he went outside, he noticed that the weather was calmer than it had been on previous days. The trees hadnot been ripped out of theirtheir roots, and the sunrise was visible on the horizon, unlike the last days that were filled with violent storms. He noticed that the market had already been renovated and that most of the stalls were up and running as he glanced downwards towards the village. Nelanian beat off the dust on his trousers and
The men's destructive noises that were disrupting the forest's serenity became louder. They would appear to be having a close knit conversation one moment, then go silent the next, as if they had spotted him. Nelanian was doing everything he could to evade them; darkness was his ally at the time, and it effectively concealed him from the group. He was also counting on luck; the darkness may be bringing him towards them, and because neither his eyesight nor his hearing were as good as they had been, he had to take a leap of faith and pray he didn't run into them.As he moved through the woodland, he kept his head low, as if he were a goat munching on the leaves of the plants. He masterfully regulated his breathing, only taking another breath to relieve the strain in his lungs when he felt like he was about to pass out at the last second.“did you hear that? Something moved over there,” a voice said, directing its attention to
The men's destructive noises that were disrupting the forest's serenity became louder. They would appear to be having a close knit conversation one moment, then go silent the next, as if they had spotted him. Nelanian was doing everything he could to evade them; darkness was his ally at the time, and it effectively concealed him from the group. He was also counting on luck; the darkness may be bringing him towards them, and because neither his eyesight nor his hearing were as good as they had been, he had to take a leap of faith and pray he didn't run into them.As he moved through the woodland, he kept his head low, as if he were a goat munching on the leaves of the plants. He masterfully regulated his breathing, only taking another breath to relieve the strain in his lungs when he felt like he was about to pass out at the last second.“did you hear that? Something moved over there,” a voice said, directing its attention to
The students carried their luggage through the airport lobby. Jalon had to bear the weight of all four suitcases because the boys who had assisted him in loading them into the bus did not accompany him. Some of the flight attendants felt sorry for him and offered to assist him with his luggage.They walked through the congested airport, and some of the passengers in the lobby who were waiting for their flights recognised them. Others ran up to them and offered to carry their luggage, while others requested photographs and pictures.“All right, that's enough guys, we're here for the trials, not for show,” one of the professors stated, calmly asking airport security to keep the others from approaching the applicants any closer. They finally made it outside the airport, where a luxurious travelling coach was waiting for them. They were about to start packing their belongings when Norval noticed something.“Hey, Jalon, take a look. 
The students carried their luggage through the airport lobby. Jalon had to bear the weight of all four suitcases because the boys who had assisted him in loading them into the bus did not accompany him. Some of the flight attendants felt sorry for him and offered to assist him with his luggage.They walked through the congested airport, and some of the passengers in the lobby who were waiting for their flights recognised them. Others ran up to them and offered to carry their luggage, while others requested photographs and pictures.“All right, that's enough guys, we're here for the trials, not for show,” one of the professors stated, calmly asking airport security to keep the others from approaching the applicants any closer. They finally made it outside the airport, where a luxurious travelling coach was waiting for them. They were about to start packing their belongings when Norval noticed something.“Hey, Jalon, take a look. 
The interment was quick and uninteresting. Rhaizen Gale was laid to rest by drunkards who didn't give a damn about his body or his funeral. All they could think about was how quickly the ceremony would end so they could return to their normal lives and forget about that miserable excuse for a man. They wanted the trials to begin so that a new champion could be chosen, one who was descended from royalty and had noble blood coursing through her veins.Luciana was the one who was going to be chosen, as were the majority of IAA students and faculty thought. She had the numbers and the support to back it up. She had always been at the top of her class since her enrollment, and her grades had never slipped. She also showed remarkable promise on the battlefield, winning every tournament she participated in. She was occasionally beatenby Jalon Barr in combat tests and Cecily in alchemy tests, although overall she ranked higher than both when compared. Cecily's absence from
The students carried their luggage through the airport lobby. Jalon had to bear the weight of all four suitcases because the boys who had assisted him in loading them into the bus did not accompany him. Some of the flight attendants felt sorry for him and offered to assist him with his luggage.They walked through the congested airport, and some of the passengers in the lobby who were waiting for their flights recognised them. Others ran up to them and offered to carry their luggage, while others requested photographs and pictures.“All right, that's enough guys, we're here for the trials, not for show,” one of the professors stated, calmly asking airport security to keep the others from approaching the applicants any closer. They finally made it outside the airport, where a luxurious travelling coach was waiting for them. They were about to start packing their belongings when Norval noticed something.“Hey, Jalon, take a look. 
“Have the applicants already left for the trials?” “The king inquired. He walked around Mr. Starkridge's office, tipping books and pens down on the dusty carpet and watching them roll.“Yes, sir, they left a few of hours ago. He said, swallowing hard and loosening his tie in agitation, “I assume they have already boarded the plane and are on their way to Sunset City as we speak.” The lady who had accompanied the king took a seat on one of the couches closer to the office door. While the two were speaking, she started fussing with her nails.“Mr. Starkridge, didn’t I tell you that letting the boy live was going to cause some, complications. I suggested that we just kill the boy right then and there and be done with it. But you had to resort to the slow and methodical approach of feeding him blue fire, how did it go? ” The king inquired as he rested his hand on one of the pens and picked it up.&ldq
The commotion and unrest raged on, students running across hallways and slamming on each other. “They are at the entrance! Call the candidates!” one of the students yelled at another. The media had flooded the schools gate, calling to the school teachers and lecturers to release the candidates for the seat of Ithea's champion for an interview with them.“Please step back people. Classes are
At the school's gates, a fleet of escort cars arrived. The arriving fleet was heard from afar by the idle camera crew who was sleeping the night away in the parking lot. They promptly turned on their cameras. One of the cars came to a standstill, and the back door opened a notch. Two young men dressed in casual clothing emerged and rolled out a red carpet across the pavement leading to the gates. The automobile then moved forward, making room for a limousine to enter the scene smoothly.The camera team fought for a good view of the gorgeous vehicle from both sides of the spread carpet. It came to rest exactly on the carpet, and the front doors opened, revealing two bodyguards. They dashed to the back of the vehicle and cautiously opened the back door.A lovely leg, adorned with pricey stilettos and a stunning gown, stepped out of the automobile. As she stepped out of the car and onto the carpet, the bodyguard extended his arm, and a feminine hand reached out and clutch
Luciana, Norval, and Jalon were all seated on the bench in front of the entrance to the sports complex's head office, where the manager normally sat. Their professors had summoned them to the office for an unscheduled meeting. Because the IAA had closed, the candidates needed to know what they should do after the trials. It was going to be a long, arduous month, and they had to be prepared since the school was closed indefinitely, which meant they could have to return home after the trials were through.It was going to be a long, arduous month, and they had to be prepared since the school was closed indefinitely, which meant they could have to return home after the trials were through.From inside the office, the secretary called to them. The door had been wide open, and there were two entries inside the office, one leading to the secretary's desk and the other, which had been locked, leading to the manager's office shortly after someone had been cleared to enter the offic
"She's awake," Luciana heard a voice say from within her dream. she was coming to. Jalon had snuck close to her. She fought to open her eyes and could hear footsteps rushing tothe other side of the room as she did so. Someone was up to no good, she realised right away. She straightened her back and lowered her feet from the top of the bed to the ground, resting them over a pair of sandals next to it. She was blasted with an increasingly terrible headache as soon as she did so, and all she could do was clutch her head. On the other side of the room, she could hear Jalon's quiet giggles. "Can you tell me what happened?" "How did I end up here?" Luciana inquired, struggling to regain her balance.“You've been out for quite some time." Norval tried hard not to laugh as he stated, "The medical staff brought you here after your match with th
“We welcome you all to the first phase of the Trials of Ithea! ” the announcer said, eliciting a chorus of shouts from the audience.“The participants of this first phase will be none other than the candidates themselves. Luciana Vonner, Ithea's very own princess! The cameras zoomed in on Luciana, who stood clueless, and she could see herself on the enormous screen hanging over the arena, as the announcer shouted. She finally decided to wave to the throng, and they greeted her warmly, singing her name and waving banners spelling out her name into the air. Others carried cut-outs of her face, which they waved in the air as well.The atmosphere was electric and it was justified for the students to feel nervous, they had never experienced a crow of that size.“We have the one and only Jalon Barr, the teen sensation!” announcedthe broadcaster. Give a warm welcome to the face of teenage fashion! ”
Nelanian returned to the shanty where he had been resting. His head throbbed with a headache, and he couldn't concentrate on anything for long. It hurt him in waves, inducing light drowsiness before assaulting him with a violent anguish that forced him fall out of his chair. He reached for a drink he'd made himself and drank two hefty tastes of it. He felt strong enough to walk again after a few moments of resting his mass on the chair, so he got to his feet and walked toward the shack's entrance.It was an aging house that could have easily been blown down by a strong enough breeze, termites had eaten through most of the walls, and it didn't even have a door. Nelanian had tied a sack he found near a farm, cut it, patched it together to form a curtain, and hung it over the door frame as his door. When he stepped outdoors, he spotted black clouds moving in from the south. A storm was approaching, and he needed to finish whatever he was working on before the rain caught him out