"Rise and shine participants!" announced Flare through the speakers outputted to all the rooms, "The first stage of the competition begins this morning in 45 minutes!"
Zayden quickly sat up from his bed, "That speaker is so loud!" he thought, "But, Reno probably slept through it."
Zayden shook his head as he got up from the bed and placed his hand on the side desk.
"Hm?" Zayden felt the desk again, "Where is it?!" he quickly turned his head, "Where's my wristband?!" he jumped around the room as he searched for it, "Did someone take it?!"
Zayden stopped in front of the window as he saw other participants outside on the field, "I'll have to find out myself," he thought, "That wristband is too important to not be with me," he burst out of his room, down the stairs and out onto the Academy's fields.
Zayden walked up to two other participants, "Did you guys see a red wristband anywhere?!" he asked.
The two turned around.
"That's not how you talk to us," one spoke, "It isn't respectful."
"What do you mean?" asked Zayden.
"You don't want to talk to Javarus with that tone," spoke the other participant, "The nature of him will be hurt."
"The nature?" murmured Zayden, "What are you talking about?"
"Is he serious?" asked Javarus, "Manners go a long way."
Javarus Hanzen was a muscular boy with a well-built body. He was the tallest participant. He had long, spiky, light green hair.
"It doesn't make a difference!" yelled the other one.
"It makes a major difference, Veny," smiled Javarus, "Being nice and respectful is a wonderful look."
"Why do I even be around you," irritated Veny.
Veny Ikanu is tall as well, but not as muscular. He's also bald and wore a long black robe.
"I didn't mean to disrespect you," murmured Zayden.
"Then you're going to have to repeat yourself," spoke Veny.
"What do you want me to say?!" uttered Zayden.
"You can't ask to help you without proper greeting," smiled Javarus, "I can't help a stranger."
"Proper greeting?" thought Zayden.
There was a pause.
"Oh, so, I'm Zayden," spoke Zayden, "What's your name?"
"I'm Javarus," smiled Javarus, "Good morning, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is," nodded Zayden, "Alright, so, would you be able to lend a hand?"
"Yeah, why not," smiled Javarus, "Veny and I can certainly help you, what is it?"
"That's all it took," Zayden was surprised.
"The both of us?!" heard Veny.
"I had a wristband in my room," recalled Javarus, "But now I seem to have lost it, I have no idea where it could be, can you help me find it please?"
"I see," understood Javarus, "Then we'll help you until we find it."
"Don't include 'we'!" uttered Veny.
"Tell us where to look," smiled Javarus.
"Thanks guys!" nodded Zayden, "Let's separate and look everywhere, ask others if they've seen it, and the colour of the wristband is red!"
"Got it!" nodded Javarus, "Let's go," he patted Veny on the back.
Veny put his head down.
The three went separate ways to search for Zayden's wristband.
______________________
By now, all the participants were awake.
Kaesar stood by the door in his room, "His last attack was so close," he recalled his fight with Zayden last night, "How could I have let it get to that point," he opened the door as he went down the stairs and walked through a hallway.
But then Rajaul came up from behind, "That's one of Zayden's pals that sneered Dedrian!" he looked to Kaesar from a distance.
Kaesar walked.
"Hey Zayden's buddy!" smirked Rajaul.
Kaesar looked back.
"You guys messed around with Dedrian!" recalled Rajaul, "So by association, I have to get involved!"
"No," Kaesar turned away, "There isn't a point to this."
"Turn around!" yelled Rajaul, "I'm talking to you!"
"I'm not in the mood to deal with your type," Kaesar walked away.
"What?!" uttered Rajaul, "What do you mean my 'type'?!"
"Don't bother me," spoke Kaesar, "Focus on the first stage instead."
Rajaul shook his head as he Sinned, "You should be focused on me," Water overflowed his body.
"I know you're Sinning," Kaesar stopped walking, "Don't."
"And what are you going to do about it?!" yelled Rajaul.
Near the confrontation, Kara turned the corner into the hallway, "—Oh," she saw the two and quickly stepped back, "What's going on here?!" she watched from behind the wall, "I'm ready to see this!"
"I may not be as strong as Dedrian!" yelled Rajaul, "But you and I are a different story!" he charged to Kaesar as Water surrounded his fist.
Kaesar stood with his back turned.
"Stop disrespecting me!" Rajaul swung his arm.
Kaesar quickly turned around and caught his fist, "You're the one coming at me," he spoke.
"Uh—" Rajaul forced his hand out.
"Huh?!" saw Kara, "His hand got bigger!"
"What?!" Rajaul saw his hand frozen in a block of Ice, "This isn't funny!"
"It really is!" Kara laughed on the side.
Kaesar stayed quiet.
Rajaul burst to him again, "This is for Dedrian!" he rapidly went in with one hand punches.
Kaesar moved side to side as he avoided each fist.
"How am I missing every time!" Rajaul went in with another punch.
Kaesar jumped back a distance.
Rajaul's breath was heavy, "N-Now this is about me as well," he angered, "I have to show I'm that much better than you!" a wave of Water rose behind him, "You won't be able to handle this one."
Kaesar was calm.
Rajaul turned his head back to the wave of Water, "I don't care if I'm careless," he smirked as he turned back to Kaesar, "As long as you're—" but then stopped.
Kaesar stared him down.
"—U-Uh," saw Rajaul.
"I'm here," Kaesar's white hair lowered, "What's holding you back?"
Rajaul was stunned as he looked into his eyes.
"What's happening now," wondered Kara.
"I-I—" stuttered Rajaul.
Kaesar looked to him with emotionless face.
"What's with this guy?!" worried Rajaul, "He's not flinching at—"
"—Rajaul," spoke Kaesar, "You started a fight, now finish it."
"I-I will," muttered Rajaul, but in his thoughts, "The way he's staring me down, it's so deep..."
"What is this," Kara saw Kaesar from behind the wall, "His eyes are super cold," she looked back to Rajaul, "And he's frozen like a frozen lollipop!"
"I-I need to attack for Dedrian," Rajaul looked to Kaesar, "B-But this guy, he's too much."
There was a pause.
Rajaul slowly looked away, "I-I," he looked back into Kaesar's eyes, "I-I can't," he stopped Sinning as the wave of Water splashed to the ground.
"Ah—" the water splashed Kara on the side.
"We're done here," Kaesar turned around, "I mentioned there wasn't a point to this."
"B-But..." Rajaul eyed down.
Kaesar walked away.
"W-W-Why couldn't I finish the fight," Rajaul slowly turned and walked the other way.
On the side, Kara's wet hair went over her eyes.
Rajaul walked passed her as he was completely stunned.
Kara saw him go, then looked to Kaesar.
Kaesar walked through the door and went outside.
"He's a funny one," chuckled Kara as she blew the wet hair up on her forehead.
______________________
On the upper level, the last participant who got out of their room was Aviva. She walked down the stairs, "I'm wasting my time here in this Academy," she stepped onto the floor.
But then Smoke appeared beside her.
"I knew you were going to show up at some point," murmured Aviva.
Adalo appeared on the spot, "I wanted to make sure you were up and ready," he assured.
Aviva walked to the front door.
"Aviva," Adalo walked from behind, "Your family expect big things from you, and so do I."
"But why don't you say that to the other participants?" asked Aviva.
"I have connections with your family," recalled Adalo, "I wouldn't want them to be disappointed with you, nor do I want to see you not succeed."
Aviva listened, "Adalo and Papa are close," she recalled, "But it's not like that makes me any different."
"You and I both know you have what it takes to make it into the winning circle," spoke Adalo, "Only the effort is what holds you back."
The two stopped at the front door inside the Academy.
"What if I don't want to do this whole thing," opposed Aviva, "Why should I?"
"Because you're going to surpass your older sister," remarked Adalo, "Lavivo.
"But I'm forced so much into Sinning!" yelled Aviva, "Especially in this competition!"
"That's great," went on Adalo, "Sinning is what makes the world go around, without Sinners, there would be chaos with no order."
"You're speaking a lot like Papa," Aviva looked away.
"It can't be helped," Adalo opened the front door.
The two looked outside to the Academy's fields.
"I believe Lavivo is deep within your motivation for Sinning," spoke Adalo.
"Yeah, okay," Aviva crossed her arms.
Zayden burst through the Academy's fields as small Fire surrounded him.
"He's going to hurt himself again," saw Aviva.
Zayden looked to the Academy's door, "Oh hey—" but then bumped he into someone and fell on the ground.
"I found the wristband!" remarked Veny.
"Wait what—" Zayden sat up.
"Get off the ground!" yelled Veny, "I said I found the wristband!"
"You did?!" Zayden quickly stood up, "Where is it?!"
"Follow me," spoke Veny, "Someone else is wearing it."
"Who could have taken my wristband?!" worried Zayden.
Veny turned and ran down the field.
Zayden followed behind.
"There are just 15 minutes before the first stage begins!" announced Flare through the speakers connected on the walls of the Academy.
Veny stopped running.
Zayden stopped behind.
The two hid behind bushes.
"Look," Veny pointed, "He has it."
Zayden raised his head as he saw the back of the person, "W-We need to get closer," he whispered, "I want to know who it is."
"Let's confront him and go from there," smirked Veny, "It'll save a whole lot of time."
"No no," denied Zayden, "Let's wait it out a bit."
The two quietly moved closer to the person with the wristband.
Zayden turned his head, "Alright let's—" but no one was there, "Where'd you go?!" he put his head up.
"This'll save time!" Veny charged forward.
The person with the wristband quickly turned around, "What the heck is going on?!" he freaked out.
Zayden's eyes widened, "Wait!" he jumped over the bushes, "That's Reno!"
But Veny put out his arm, "You stole something that wasn't yours!" he Sinned boulders of Rocks out of the ground and sent it forward.
Reno saw the boulders coming, "What is—" he turned and ran away, "I'm not ready to—"
"—Stay down!" Zayden jumped into Reno and crashed with him to the ground.
The Boulders of Rock rapidly passed by above.
"Zayden?!" saw Reno, "What's the problem?!"
"Hand back the wristband," Veny walked to them.
"W-Why?!" Reno turned.
"I'll take it from here," Zayden stood up, "He's a friend."
"Why did I bother," murmured Veny, "Javarus is always getting me stuck in his business."
"U-Uh—" stuttered Reno.
"See you later Veny," waved Zayden.
"Sounds good to me sir," mocked Veny as he jumped over the bushes.
Zayden turned back.
Reno slowly stood up, "So I was—"
But then Zayden quickly grabbed his wrist with the wristband.
"Let go!" shrieked Reno, "It's not what you think, I just need to borrow it!"
"You know the wristband important to me!" Zayden let go of his wrist, "Why would you take it?"
"First of all," Reno rolled his wrist, "Why are you so angry?!"
"Because you know that wristband is important to me!" yelled Zayden, "I just said that!"
"Oh yeah," heard Reno, "You did say that."
Zayden irritated.
"Hey Zayden," smiled Reno, "Can I borrow your wristband?"
"What?!" uttered Zayden, "Reno, you're so—" but then stopped.
"I'm so what?" asked Reno.
"You're really something else," chuckled Zayden.
"What do you mean?!" asked Reno, "I'm just asking to borrow your wristband!"
"Yeah," spoke Zayden, "Right after you took it without my permission."
"Oh," heard Reno, "You're right, sorry about that, but can I borrow it?"
"Why?" asked Zayden.
"Because of the whole thing with your Dad's Sinning Power within this wristband," recalled Reno, "I think if I wear it, I'll have a good shot at passing the first stage!"
Zayden listened.
"So please!" begged Reno, "I really need it to pass the competition! Especially to teach someone a lesson in respect!" he began punching the air.
"What did you get yourself into?" chuckled Zayden.
"Some wannabe cool guy named Soro!" recalled Reno, "He disrespected my lady! You believe that?!"
"Soro," thought Zayden, "He was Reno's roommate on the ship if I remember right."
"But Soro's not to be taken lightly," Reno stopped punching, "He's really strong," he remembered when a blue spark triggered when he put his hand on Soro's shoulder.
"Let's ignore this Soro guy," Zayden brushed it off, "What if I'm in a situation and I—"
"What situation?!" uttered Reno, "You're strong enough already! Has the wristband protected you before?!"
"Well, no," spoke Zayden, "I've never really seen it do anything."
"That's because you never truly needed it," remarked Reno.
"But my Mother gave it to me," recalled Zayden, "And if you wear the wristband during the first stage and it does go off, I'm sure you'll be disqualified."
"Yeah, so?" asked Reno
"I don't want the risk of you leaving," murmured Zayden, "I need you here more than anyone—"
"—Come on man!" broke in Reno, "Don't worry about me, this whole competition is one step closer to your dream of becoming a Full-Fledged Sinner! Remember that!"
"But don't you always remind me people say becoming Full-Fledged is impossible?!" recalled Zayden.
"Uh—" chuckled Reno, "I said that because I was jealous of how strong and determined you always were, but now I realize it's possible you could become Full-Fledged, because you want it that bad!"
There was a pause.
"Thanks!" smiled Zayden.
"Will all participants make their way to the south-west side of the field!" announced Flare through the speakers, "The first stage is beginning in two minutes!"
"Only two minutes?!" freaked out Reno, "Zayden please! I really need the wristband, it might work for me!"
"O-Okay, fine," accepted Zayden, "The wristband is your responsibility to keep safe, please don't lose it."
"Thank you!" celebrated Reno.
The two walked to the Academy's south-west field.
"You're going to learn today Soro!" Reno was eager.
______________________
All the participants were scattered on the field, they faced Adalo and Flare.
"Good morning to everyone!" smiled Flare, "Welcome to the first stage! I will begin by calling out everybody's name to see if they are present!"
Kaesar came up from behind the participants, "Zayden's wristband is now on Reno," he noticed.
Zayden looked around, "Oh hey Kaesar," he saw.
Kaesar looked to his wrist.
"What are you looking at?" asked Zayden.
"Nothing," Kaesar eyed up, "I wonder what Flare has to say about the first stage."
"Did you say Flare?!" Reno quickly turned as he looked a far distance ahead, "Hey Flare!" he waved out his arms, "Make sure you watch me closely when I Sin okay!"
"Reno," sighed Zayden, "Focus on what she has to say instead of her appearance."
"Yeah sure," giggled Reno as he waved, "No problem."
By now, Flare called most of the participants' as she got a response back, "Participant Rajaul!" she called.
There was a moment of silence.
"Is participant Rajaul here?!" addressed Flare.
Again, it was quiet.
"What the heck?!" angered Dedrian from the side, "Where did Rajaul run off to?!" a red aura formed on his body.
"That is unfortunate!" announced Flare, "Participant Rajaul is officially disqualified from the competition!"
"My luck is getting better by the day!" thought Reno.
"Wasn't Rajaul with Dedrian from before?" recalled Zayden.
"I don't remember too well," spoke Kaesar, "Maybe."
"Who cares!" cheered Reno, "He's out and that's fine with me!"
"Hey Zayden!" shouted Dedrian.
Zayden turned.
Everyone followed.
"What did you do to Rajaul?!" Dedrian grabbed Zayden's collar.
"What do you mean?!" asked Zayden.
"You must've done something!" angered Dedrian, "You were reckless interrupting my fight with your pal, and you act without thinking!" he tightened his grip.
Zayden struggled to take his hand off, "I have no—"
"—You're lying!" Fire surrounded Dedrian's body, "Where's Rajaul?!"
"Uh—" groaned Zayden.
"Kaesar do something!" uttered Reno, "He's Sinning now!"
But then Adalo vanished into Smoke from beside Flare and reappeared in front of Zayden and Dedrian.
"Adalo?!" saw the others.
Kaesar's eyes widened.
Adalo broke up Dedrian's hand from Zayden's collar.
"—Uh," Dedrian put his arm down.
"What do you think you're doing," Adalo looked to him.
"I've seen something like this before!" Kaesar was stunned, "But where?!"
"He did something to Rajaul!" Dedrian pointed to Zayden, "I'm sure of it!"
Zayden denied, "How could I—"
"—It doesn't matter what happened before," remarked Adalo, "We have to begin this stage now."
More Fire surrounded Dedrian.
"Save your heat for the days to come," spoke Adalo, "If you make it that far."
"I will make it that far!" groaned Dedrian, "You can bet on it!"
"Are you sure?" spoke Adalo.
"I'm confident!" tensed Dedrian.
Zayden took steps back to Reno and Kaesar.
"For that reason," declared Adalo, "You are the first to begin the stage."
"I don't even know what this stage is about!" yelled Dedrian.
"Flare will explain," remarked Adalo, "So till then, I suggest you keep quiet."
Dedrian looked away as Fire surrounded him.
"Will all the participants stand in a circle!" addressed Flare.
Adalo looked to Dedrian, "And you go to the middle and wait," he spoke.
The participants made a circle with Dedrian in the middle.
Adalo walked back to Flare on one end of the circle.
"And with Rajaul being disqualified!" addressed Flare, "That means there are 24 participants competing in the first stage!"
The participants listened.
"I'm counting 23," Adalo quietly spoke.
"I-It's Soro," recalled Flare, "H-He told me early in the morning he would like to go last in the first stage, and I assured that's perfectly fine."
"Understandable," accepted Adalo, "That would cause less tension."
"Exactly," went on Flare, "Though I'm not going to lie, it's going to be uncomfortable when he arrives."
"Really?" Adalo was surprised, "I thought you talked to him when he handed in his form."
"I-I did," recalled Flare, "But it's not like I wasn't nervous, and now since I know he's going to be Sinning, I don't know what to expect."
"Can we go on with this!" shouted Dedrian from the middle.
"Go on Flare," spoke Adalo.
"Welcome to the first stage!" Flare nodded and stepped forward, "This stage is quite simple, same goes for the other two, but anyhow, this stage consists of two parts!"
The participants listened.
"The first part will take place here!" addressed Flare, "We will test your combat awareness as one of our Instructors will attempt to tag you in however way they feel fit, and you must evade all of their attacks for 5 minutes! If the Instructor comes into contact with you in any way, you are eliminated, and must leave the Academy at once!"
The participants nodded.
"Then once all the participants have had their turn," went on Flare, "The ones who have passed will come back inside the Academy to do the second portion to complete the first stage! With all that said, good luck!"
Several participants clapped.
Kara's clap was overly done as stood with Marubee.
Zayden felt out his collar at the side of the circle.
"Are you good?" asked Reno.
"I'm great," smirked Zayden, "Better than ever!"
"That's what I like to hear!" tensed Reno.
Zayden turned to Kaesar, "What's gotten you so confused?" he asked.
"I-I'm fine," snapped Kaesar, but in his thoughts, "I know I've seen something like that with Adalo before, the same kind of scenario too, I-I just can't remember it..."
"Alright then," addressed Flare, "We're ready to begin, will the Instructors please come out!"
25 Instructors jumped over the participants and stood in a straight line. All covered in black clothes aside from their face.
"Will one of you start out the first stage with this young Sinner?" asked Flare.
One of the Instructors stepped forward and faced Dedrian a distance away.
Dedrian tensed.
Everyone watched on.
"And the 5-minute timer," addressed Flare, "Has started!"
The Instructor burst forward and went in for a grab.
Dedrian quickly stepped to the side and put out his arms, "I'm not in a good mood!" he Sinned a wave of Fire out of his hands.
But the Instructor jumped over the Fire.
"You're not coming near me at all," smirked Dedrian.
The Instructor burst again.
The two continued the stage.
Javarus walked from behind Zayden as he put his hand on his shoulder, "Dedrian is as focused as ever," he spoke.
Zayden turned, "Oh, Javarus," he saw his hand, "Yeah, I can tell he's serious."
Veny came up to his other side, "And he wants to hurt you," he spoke, "You must be worried."
Zayden looked to his other side, "Not really," he spoke, "The competition is serious, so Dedrian probably felt a lot of pressure when his friend didn't show up, I don't think it's anything more than that."
Dedrian excelled in the first stage.
"And the five minutes are up!" announced Flare, "Participant Dedrian, you have passed part one of the first stage!"
Some participants clapped for him.
Dedrian stopped Sinning as the Fire surrounding him was gone. He walked to one end of the circle.
Zayden saw him coming.
Dedrian stopped beside him, "I'm hoping you pass," he remarked, "I'm itching to tackle you down," he turned around the circle.
Zayden saw him go, "Dedrian's a lot more serious," he tensed, "So will I then."
"F-Flare," giggled Reno, "Hey Flare you should spend five minutes with me!"
But then Kaesar hit him on the back of his head, "That's enough!" he irritated, "Don't say ridiculous things like that!"
"You didn't have to hit me!" Reno rubbed the back of his head.
"You deserved it," sighed Kaesar, "I'm only doing what's good for you."
"Yeah right!" Reno crossed his arms and looked away.
Flare called the next participant. She was doing well, but then got tagged. Two others followed as they failed the stage and were sent home.
"Next we have participant Aviva Kallent!" called Flare.
Adalo walked into the circle.
"Make your way into the middle and may the Instructor come out!" addressed Flare.
Many participants clapped for Aviva.
"It's really a Kallent!" one cheered.
"I don't want to do this!" agonized Aviva.
"Aviva," called Adalo in the middle, "Come here."
Aviva looked to him as she forcefully walked to the middle.
Adalo leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"Tell me the secret!" beamed Kara outside in the circle.
"Really?!" tensed Aviva, "Is she watching?!"
Adalo nodded.
Aviva turned to the Instructor, "Start the timer Flare!" a Pink aura formed on her body, "Now I have to win!"
Marubee watched closely.
"My belief for her motivation was correct," Adalo walked away.
"And the timer has started!" addressed Flare.
The Instructor quickly charged to Aviva.
But then a pink flash appeared as Aviva Sinned five clones of herself.
"What's this?!" uttered Reno.
"This'll take more than 5 minutes," five clones of Aviva surrounded the Instructor.
The Instructor looked around at all the clones, "Of course a Kallent would have a move like this!" he burst to one.
"She isn't going to move?" saw a participant.
The clone Sinned a pink barrier in front her.
"—Uh," the Instructor stopped, "I have a tough one today."
The two continued the stage.
"Farmake Sinners are always fun to watch," chuckled Flare beside Adalo.
Zayden remembered Aviva what said about Farmake Sinning: "We usually don't have any abilities like Fire or Ice, our powers are a different category," he recalled Aviva's words, "It's hard to explain."
Everyone watched on.
But Kaesar walked around the circle, "Have we met before?" he stood behind Adalo.
Adalo turned around, "Don't distract—" but then stopped.
The two looked to each other.
Flare turned her head.
"W-What did you ask?" spoke Adalo.
"Have you and I met before?" repeated Kaesar, "We must've fought or did something with each other, when you broke the fight with Zayden and Dedrian, something triggered in my mind."
There was a pause.
"I've never seen you before," spoke Adalo.
"But—"
"—Adalo," broke in Flare, "Are you sure? You've travelled all around the world, there's always a chance you have encountered this young boy, think hard about it."
Kaesar looked to her, then back to Adalo.
"Flare," thought Adalo, "You didn't have to say that."
Flare looked to him, "So did—"
"—Time's up!" addressed Adalo.
Everyone looked to him.
"Good job Aviva," Adalo faced the middle, "You have passed part one."
"That time went by fast!" uttered a participant.
"Yeah, it did," thought Kaesar.
Adalo walked to the middle, "There's no time for questions," he spoke out loud.
Kaesar saw him go.
Aviva stood in the middle and stopped Sinning, her other clones popped.
Adalo looked to her, "You did well—"
"—Hold on!" yelled Marubee from the side.
Everyone quickly turned.
"What are you going to say Marubee?!" Kara took out a lollipop and put it in her mouth.
"That wasn't five minutes!" remarked Marubee, "I'm not going to stay here and act like it was!"
Aviva looked to her.
"I'm not letting her go just because she's a Kallent!" remarked Marubee.
"Yeah!" went on someone else, "She isn't lying! That couldn't have been five minutes!"
Some of the other participants yelled.
"Calm down calm down," assured Adalo.
"Why should I be calm?!" opposed Marubee, "This is clearly unfair, Flare had the timer anyways, so how would you know when the five minutes were up?!"
Adalo paused.
Flare opened her mouth, but was quiet.
Kaesar carefully looked to Adalo.
Marubee angered, "Where's the—"
"—Let's be honest," broke in Adalo, "Was Aviva really going to lose this?"
There was a pause.
"Well of course not!" smiled Kara, "She's Aviva! She wouldn't lose!"
Marubee turned, "What are you—"
"—Exactly," agreed Adalo, "So let's not waste time and pass Aviva for part one."
After a moment, some clapped for her.
"What?" Marubee looked around, "I-I get it, only because she's Aviva she get's a free pass, whatever..."
"Adalo wait!" called Aviva, "I didn't ask for—"
"—You passed alright," Adalo turned, "That's all that matters."
Aviva saw a change in his look. She walked back outside in the circle.
"Kara you just had to be on Aviva's side," murmured Marubee.
"Well Adalo isn't wrong!" smiled Kara, "No doubt Aviva would've won that!"
Marubee irritated.
"I'm super sorry if I made you mad Marubee!" saddened Kara as she put her hands together.
"Participant Kara Cherry!" announced Flare, "Please make your way into the middle!"
"Wish me luck!" beamed Kara.
Marubee looked away as she crossed her arms.
"It's okay," smiled Kara as she ran into the middle of the circle, "I'm always ready to go!"
An Instructor jumped from the line of Instructors and faced her.
"Five minutes on the timer!" addressed Flare, "Begin!"
"Na na try to get me!" Kara stuck out her tongue and ran away, she Sinned as a bright orange aura formed on her body.
"Farmake Sinners," the Instructor burst and jumped to her.
"You're crazy!" chuckled Kara.
"How did I—" the Instructor went through Kara's body and fell to the ground.
Kara chuckled.
The Instructor looked up as three clones of Kara surrounding him, "Not another one," he sighed.
All three clones of Kara took out a lollipop and put it in their mouths, "Bet you can't stop my Kara clones!" they all chuckled.
The two continued the stage.
Kaesar walked around the circle away from Adalo, "She's a funny one," he saw Kara in the middle.
"Where'd you go?" Javarus put his hand on Kaesar's shoulder.
"What?" Kaesar turned, "I needed to talk to Adalo about something."
"What was it about?" asked Veny.
"Why should I tell you," opposed Kaesar, "Who are you anyways?"
"Oh, Kaesar," spoke Zayden, "They're people I've talked to."
"Okay," murmured Kaesar, "But can this big guy keep his hands to himself."
"Sorry," chuckled Javarus as he took his hand off his shoulder, "Nice to meet you though, I'm Javarus."
"You talk to odd people Zayden," muttered Kaesar.
Reno quickly stopped waving to Flare, "What is that supposed to mean?!" he butted his head at Kaesar.
"Back up," spoke Kaesar, "Go back to drooling over someone who's clearly not interested in you."
"Don't say that!" Reno backed off and pointed, "I'll prove you wrong! Flare and me will be together! You're just a hater along with Soro!"
Many of the participants quickly looked to Reno.
"Did I hear that right?" one worried.
"I-I think I heard the same," another one muttered.
"You said Soro," recalled Kaesar, "Did I hear that correctly?"
Zayden looked around, "Why's everyone worked up over this guy," he noticed.
"Yeah!" nodded Reno, "And he insulted my lady!"
"You talked to Soro?!" Veny burst to Reno, "When and where?!" he held him by the arms.
"Veny?!" Reno saw up close, "What happened?!"
"Tell me when and where you saw Soro!" yelled Veny.
"Yesterday close to midnight!" uttered Reno, "Why are you acting so worried?!"
Veny angered, "Do you know who Soro—"
"—I know who Soro is!" went on Reno, "I can handle him myself! You guys don't have to get involved!"
Some of the participants extremely worried.
"I-I didn't know Soro was here," one murmured, "I-I don't feel like competing anymore..."
"Are you that clueless?!" shouted Veny, "Do you really know who Soro is?!"
"Let go of Reno!" yelled Zayden.
"Yeah, I do know who Soro is!" shouted Reno, "W-Well, uh—"
"—He's the son of the only Sinner who has ever reached Full-Fledged," stated Javarus.
"A Full-Fledged Sinner?!" tensed Zayden, "Are you serious?!"
Veny let go of Reno.
"Yeah Zayden," remarked Javarus, "It's understandable if you're—"
"—You don't know how good it is to hear that," smirked Zayden.
The others were shocked.
"That means becoming a Full-Fledged Sinner is possible!" Zayden put up his fist to his chest, and his thoughts, thought about his Mother, "I'll reach that goal for both me and Mom!"
"Z-Zayden," muttered Veny, "Stop celebrating."
"Why?!" asked Zayden, "Now I'm hyped to see Soro!"
"H-How can you say that," groaned Veny, "Why would you want to see him?"
"Why not?" opposed Zayden, "Because of him, now I know that—"
"—Just stop talking!" Veny went in with a punch.
"What are you—" saw Zayden.
But Javarus quickly grabbed Veny's arm.
Veny had small tears in his eyes.
Zayden was stunned.
"Don't ever celebrate the likes of Damon and Soro!" yelled Veny.
"What happened?!" thought Zayden, "I didn't mean for Veny to act like this!"
"Relax Veny," Javarus held him back.
"I-I'm," stuttered Zayden, "I didn't mean anything wrong, I don't—"
But then Dedrian burst as he punched into Zayden's jaw.
"Uh—" Zayden was sent back as he crashed to the ground.
"I'll stop you right now if you have the slightest thought of becoming Full-Fledged!" shouted Dedrian as his fist Inflamed in Fire.
"That wasn't fair!" Reno rushed to Zayden.
Small blood dripped from Zayden's mouth, "Then try to stop me!" he stood up, "Because I think about becoming Full-Fledged everyday!"
"Why would you want to be Full-Fledged?" angered Dedrian, "Damon is a Full-Fledged Sinner, and do you see what he does with that Power?!"
"I don't know who Damon is," Zayden took his hand off his jaw, "But I'll control whatever Power comes with me achieving my dream!"
"You're so ignorant!" Fire surrounded Dedrian, "I make it my priority to cut down anyone who thinks of such things!"
Zayden was stunned.
Dedrian was in deep thought, "For her, I will not allow this!" he thought about his Mother back home, "I'll keep my word and make sure nobody tries to become a Full-Fledged Sinner ever again!"
Back in the circle, the timer beeped, "Congratulations Kara!" addressed Flare, "You have successfully passed part one!"
Kara stopped Sinning as her clones popped, "You never got me!" she chuckled.
The Instructor's breath was heavy as he was on one knee.
Adalo stepped forward.
But Flare stopped him, "The participants are starting to find out Soro's pending arrival," she remarked, "And they're not taking it too well."
Adalo turned his head, "Not again with these two," he saw as he turned into Smoke.
Zayden Sinned as Fire surrounded him, "You make it your priority to cut down such people?" he smirked, "What are you trying to say?!"
"I think you already know," smirked Dedrian, "I've been itching to tackle you down!"
"So am I!" tensed Zayden.
Outside of the circle, Zayden and Dedrian burst to each other as they burned the grass beneath.
"Somebody has to stop this!" uttered someone.
"You're mine!" Zayden and Dedrian went in with a punch.
But then Smoke appeared in the middle "It's gone far enough," groaned a figure.
"It's Adalo!" saw the others.
Adalo appeared with his hands out as he Sinned.
Smoke quickly enclosed Zayden and Dedrian.
"What the hell is this?!" angered Dedrian.
"Where did it come from?!" coughed Zayden.
The Fire surrounding them faded away.
"Dedrian," called Adalo, "Go inside the Academy and wait for the rest of us to finish."
Dedrian coughed and looked to Adalo.
"No!" shouted Zayden, "We need to finish this!"
"You still have to compete!" Adalo turned, "You two can fight all you want after this stage, now's not the time."
There was a pause.
"I was so close to tackling him," angered Dedrian as he walked away from the circle.
Zayden saw him go.
"I'm not going to allow you to become Full-Fledged," Dedrian stopped with his back turned, "I have a promise to keep."
Everyone listened.
"Why do you care?" muttered Zayden.
Dedrian walked away.
Zayden turned around and faced the circle.
"Are you okay?!" Reno ran in front of him.
"I have to get him back for this one," Zayden felt out his jaw, "He won't get the last say."
Flare looked to Kara in the middle, "You can walk back into the circle," she smiled, "Wonderful job!"
"Thank you!" chuckled Kara, "It was nothing," she turned and burst to Marubee, "Did you see that?!"
"Yeah, you did okay," spoke Marubee, "But did you hear about Soro?"
"What about him?" asked Kara.
"He's here," stated Marubee.
"Where where?!" Kara looked around, "I don't see him!"
"I mean it's safe to say he's going to be here," corrected Marubee.
Kara's eyes widened, "Amazing!" she jumped.
"What?!" saw Marubee.
"That's amazing I said!" beamed Kara, "Soro comes from a super strong family, he's the son of Damon after all, he's super famous!"
"I'm telling you this for your own well-being," urged Marubee, "Don't go touchy touchy with him like you did with Aviva."
"You can't stop me!" Kara stuck out her tongue.
All the participants talked about Soro.
"Will everyone settle down," addressed Adalo.
The participants quieted.
"As you may have found out," spoke Adalo, "Soro is in fact here, but that does not mean we're putting a halt in the competition," he pointed to a participant, "You there, you're next."
"M-Me?!" the participant's legs shook, "I-I don't want to go..."
"What did you say?" asked Adalo.
"You heard me!" shouted the participant, "I-I'm out, this competition isn't worth the risk of my life!"
Everyone listened
"Soro can't be this strong?!" worried Reno.
"That's surprising," tensed Adalo, "Go back to the academy, pack your stuff, and leave immediately."
The participant turned and walked back to the Academy.
Another participant raised his hand, "I-I would like to leave too," she muttered.
"Another one?" groaned Adalo, "Follow the other one who quit, and that goes for anyone else who has doubts, leave immediately."
Two other participants quietly followed and walked out.
"Hey Reno," murmured Kaesar, "You can leave if you want."
"S-Should I?!" thought Reno.
"Reno isn't going anywhere," Zayden put his arm around Reno's shoulders, "Am I right?"
"Y-Yeah!" snapped Reno, "Y-You're right, I'm here to stay!"
"I wonder how you'd be if Zayden wasn't here," spoke Zayden.
"What?" uttered Reno, "'What's that supposed to—"
"—Participant Reno Rossard!" called Flare, "Please make your way into the circle!"
"Flare!" Reno took off Zayden's arm, "Coming!"
"Good luck!" wished Zayden.
Reno ran to the middle.
But then Zayden looked back as he saw Javarus and Veny outside the circle.
"You can't act like this," spoke Javarus behind Veny, "You must remain calm."
"You want me to stay calm?!" Veny was seated on the ground, "This is my chance, when Soro comes, I'm going to kill him, nobody will stop me."
Zayden walked to them, "Hey," he spoke, "Is Veny okay?"
Javarus turned back, "Now wouldn't be the best time," he shook his head.
But then Veny stood up as he wiped his eyes, "It's you," he turned around.
"About the whole thing of becoming a Full-Fledged Sinner," Zayden stopped in front of him, "I didn't mean to—"
"—Don't say anything," broke in Veny, "I shouldn't have raised my hand to you."
"No, that's fine," assured Zayden, "I shouldn't have been so loud about it."
"Yeah," murmured Veny, "Let's move on from this..."
"But," went on Zayden, "If it's okay with you talking about it, do you have a history with Soro? I should've been more careful of my words."
"Yeah, I do," remarked Veny, "But it's my issue and I'll take care of it, let's go watch your friend Reno."
"Yeah, for sure," Zayden turned back to the circle.
"But Reno's supposed to go to the middle," sighed Javarus.
"So how about that five minutes I mentioned earlier!" Reno burst to Flare on the other end.
"Participant Reno," spoke Flare, "I said go to the middle, not to me."
"But—"
"—Go to the middle," broke in Adalo.
"But I need to tell Flare something!" whined Reno as he stood in front of the two.
"Will an Instructor come out?" Adalo shook his head.
An Instructor followed and stood a distance behind Reno.
"You're still not going to pay attention?" saw Adalo.
Reno didn't see the Instructor.
"Well!" went on Flare, "The timer is set, begin!"
"The timer for our 5 minutes?!" blushed Reno as he looked to Flare.
"He can't be serious?" Kaesar had a straight face.
"He needs to focus now!" thought Zayden.
"What an idiot," murmured Marubee.
"He's crazy talk!" chuckled Kara.
"How annoying," sighed Aviva.
The Instructor charged to Reno from behind.
"Reno turn around!" yelled Zayden.
"Looks like I got an easy one!" the Instructor went in for a grab.
But then the wristband sparked on Reno's wrist.
"Turn around you idiot!" shouted Kaesar.
"Who are you calling an idiot?!" Reno turned his head.
The wristband shined in Green as two Boulders Sinned out of the ground.
"What the—" the Instructor stopped.
The Boulders rushed in from both sides and smashed the Instructor in between.
Kaesar's mouth dropped.
Everyone was shocked.
After a moment, the Rocks fell apart and broke to the ground.
The Instructor's entire body was wrecked, he fell on his back unconscious.
"I-I hope nobody noticed anything," worried Zayden.
"Interesting," Adalo squinted his eyes.
Reno turned around, "Alright let's do this!" he punched forward in the air, "Start the timer Flare!"
"I-I already did," murmured Flare.
"Really?" Reno looked down, "Who did this?!" he saw the Boulders and the Instructor laid in front of him.
Some participants murmured.
Reno kneeled as he put his hand on the Boulder.
"Y-Yeah good job Reno!" clapped Zayden, "Y-You did the right move there!"
After a moment, some of the others followed and clapped.
Reno patted the Boulder of Rock, but then noticed his wrist, "This might've been the wristband's doing!" he quickly stood up, "How was that Flare?!" he turned, "Pretty impressive huh?!"
"Reno passes," spoke Adalo, "The Instructor is unconscious."
"Congratulations participant Reno!" announced Flare, "You have passed part one!"
"Yes!" Reno quickly burst to Flare, "Hey so—"
But then Zayden pulled him outside the circle.
"Call out the next participant," spoke Adalo.
Flare went on.
Outside of the circle, Zayden grabbed Reno's collar with both hands, "What did I tell you?!" he shook him, "The wristband is too risky, you're going to get caught!"
"Relax!" assured Reno, "Nobody noticed!"
"I'm sure everyone noticed!" yelled Zayden.
"I told you before!" recalled Reno, "You have your own goals to aim for, don't worry about me!"
"But—"
"I'll be fine!" smiled Reno.
Zayden let go of him, "One day I'm really going to get mad at you," he groaned, "Then you'll see it coming."
"But then I'll use this wristband against you!" tensed Reno.
"Do you not listen?!" Zayden grabbed Reno's collar again, "I just said to be careful with it!" he shook him.
Reno's head bobbed up and down.
Aviva watched on from the circle, "I believe I have an idea on what's happening," she thought.
The next two participants were eliminated.
Javarus stood with Veny, "Is everything okay now?" he asked.
"I told you I'm fine," spoke Veny, "Adalo!" he called, "I would like to go next!"
"Very well," Adalo turned, "Make your way into the middle."
Veny slowly walked inside the circle.
"T-This doesn't feel right," worried Javarus.
Zayden stopped shaking Reno, "It's Veny's turn," he turned to the middle.
An Instructor stood a distance in front of Veny.
"And the five-minute timer has started!" addressed Flare.
A dark green aura formed on Veny's body.
"How focused is he?" saw the Instructor.
Javarus' eyes widened, "Veny you—"
Veny Sinned as the boulder of Rock underneath him lifted him high up the air.
"We need to take steps back!" yelled Javarus.
Everyone looked up to the sky.
Veny levitated on top of a Rock as he was as high as the Academy.
"What is he planning?" saw Marubee.
Veny roared as he put out his arm and Sinned large Boulders of Rock out of the ground.
"Veny!" called Javarus, "Don't think about—"
"—Soro!" shouted Veny as pieces of the ground flew up the air, "You're somewhere watching!" he pushed his hand forward, "This is a statement for you!"
"Take cover!" shouted a participant.
All the sharp large Boulders rapidly Sinned towards the Instructor.
"This is too sudden!" the Instructor dodged left and right, but then another boulder bashed into him as he dropped to one knee.
"Adalo!" called Flare, "Do you think this is too much?!"
"Uh—"
"Oh—"
"Uh—"
Several Boulders of Rocks crashed on top of the Instructor one by one.
The participants were stunned.
"He's lost it," remarked Marubee.
"What does he think he's doing?" thought Aviva.
Dust surrounded the field as several more Boulders crushed down on the Instructor.
"This is all about Soro!" recalled Zayden as he coughed, "Every boulder is for him!"
Nobody could see the Instructor underneath all the Rocks.
"Veny!" shouted Javarus, "Stop!"
"He's going to kill him!" worried Reno.
The participants' circle was broken as everyone backed away.
"Adalo step in!" Flare turned her head, "You must do—"
But then Smoke covered the Rocks on top of the Instructor and the field.
"I've seen this type of scene before!" saw Kaesar, a quick flash of memory went through his mind, "What was that?!" the images showed Dark Smoke flowing around a room, "Does it have to do with—"
"—Why are you interfering?!" Veny saw the Smoke from high up in the sky.
But then a figure of Smoke appeared.
"Show yourself!" Veny turned around.
The Smoke went away.
"Adalo?!" Veny couldn't see clearly.
Adalo levitated in the air as he put out arm.
Veny coughed, "Why are you—"
Adalo Sinned a heavy wind into Veny's stomach.
"—Uh," Veny was pushed back on the Boulder of Rock.
Adalo quickly rushed in and pushed Veny's shoulder with a finger.
"Oh—" Veny tipped off the Boulder of Rock as he fell down the air.
Adalo watched from above, "You can't be so careless," he faced his hand down and Sinned another heavy Wind.
Veny was bashed by the Wind as he rapidly fell down the air.
Everyone was stunned.
"Veny!" Javarus ran, "—Uh," he caught him on his shoulder, "I knew you were going to be reckless!"
But then Smoke surrounded Veny's body.
"What's this?!" saw Javarus.
Adalo looked down from the air with a gray aura, "Javarus!" he called.
Everyone looked up.
"Take Veny inside and leave him alone," ordered Adalo, "When he wakes up, tell him he has passed part one."
Javarus was surprised, "But—"
"—However!" Adalo came down the air, "If anyone chooses to be careless again, you will be disqualified with no warnings, do we understand?" he landed on the ground and looked to them.
The participants slowly nodded.
Javarus took Veny on his shoulders back inside the Academy.
Zayden watched them go as he remembered the tears in Veny's eyes: "Don't ever celebrate the likes of Damon and Soro!" he recalled his words.
"It's essential you have control of your Sin," Adalo walked back to Flare, "Lose control, and you're bound to kill someone you don't intend."
The participants listened.
"You didn't have to Sin such a strong Wind," murmured Flare.
"It was a message to all of them," stated Adalo.
"Usually we would disqualify a participant for such an action," spoke Flare, "So why did you pass him?"
"His reason for his anger is not for Soro," Adalo stood beside her, "It's for Damon, so I let it go."
Flare listened.
"Call for the next participant," spoke Adalo.
"Participant Marubee Tasuki!" addressed Flare, "Please come to the middle of the circle!"
"At last," Marubee walked to the middle.
Everyone looked to her.
____________________
Thank you for reading so far! If you would like to support the Sinner series so I can continue to write it, follow my socials (especially Instagram as it has character designs), and grab copies of each Volume from Amazon along with Keychain Merch from my Etsy Shop!!
Instagram: @Supersuperrr
Twitter: @Supasuperrr
Links to the Amazon page and Keychains are in my Wattpad bio :) Thanks!