The massive coliseum trembled with excitement as the screens above rolled into a new set of glowing rules. The audience leaned forward, anticipation crackling in the air like a live wire.
ROOM B EVALUATION
Task: Essence Synchronization Obstacle Run
Challenge: Students must cross the obstacle course in pairs with their auras linked. If one panics or fails, it destabilizes both.
Fail Condition: Run out of essence or not finishing before the timer ends.
Bonus: Points scale with speed of completion.
Time Limit: 1:00:00
The camera panned to June, who stood up with confidence and gave a quick thumbs-up to the crowd. Her red bracelet shimmered under the coliseum lights, vibrating slightly as her partner Fred returned the gesture. The audience cheered as the broadcast zoomed in on their determined faces.
Suddenly, the entire field began to shift. Stone tiles rearranged themselves in elaborate patterns, and massive pillars burst from the ground. Rotating flaming rings spiraled upward, followed by shimmering aura walls, narrow zig-zag maze tracks, and towering balance beams suspended over murky essence-swamp pits.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Cairo announced, "I think we are in for a visual feast today!"
"This isn't the first time Crimson Academy's used the Essence Synchronization Obstacle Run, but this layout looks absolutely brutal," Cyra added. "These obstacles are designed to test every single bit of coordination, control, and mutual trust."
"From the flaming gyroscopic hoops, to the aura field pressure zones, and the infamous shifting steps of judgment, even a small mistake could end in failure."
Roy tilted his head as he watched the growing labyrinth of danger below. "How long do you think it'd take me to clear all this?" he asked, stretching his arms.
Denwen gave him a skeptical glance. "Alone or with a partner?"
"Alone, obviously. Partners bring in too many... unpredictable variables."
"Then yeah," Denwen snorted. "You'd probably breeze through it. But if you were stuck with someone like him—"
He nodded at Jay, who sat sulking beside Logan, mumbling to himself.
"I swear," Jay sniffled, "why did she have to get paired with someone else? Fred of all people?"
"Dude, pull yourself together or you're gonna go viral," Logan muttered, guiding a tiny mechanical drone from his palm. The drone buzzed around, scrambling every camera that tried to capture Jay's tear-streaked breakdown.
"I don't care! The only thing I want going viral is my love for June!" Jay howled.
Several students turned to glance with judgmental glares before returning their focus to the unfolding event.
________________________________________
On the field, Room B students had assembled in their pairs. The red bracelets on their wrists shimmered before glowing bright white, sending a surge of essence that formed visible chains of light between each pair's wrists and ankles.
The crowd gasped.
The anchors weren't just symbolic—they enforced synchronization. If one fell, both were pulled. If one's aura wavered, the chain shimmered in protest.
Fred glanced at his glowing wrist. "Don't slow me down now, June. Just like we practiced."
"Blame others for the crimes you're guilty of," June said, cracking her knuckles with her eyes closed.
The barrier buzzed.
Above the stage, a glowing countdown appeared:
5… 4… 3… 2… 1…
BWOOOOOOOOOOMM!
The blaring horn launched them forward like a bullet.
---
Phase 1: Rotating Flaming Rings
June and Fred sprinted forward, their steps in perfect rhythm, the chain between them slack but alive. Giant flaming hoops spun slowly at first—but then accelerated.
One student pair panicked. The girl tripped. Her partner tried to lift her but mistimed it, the chain yanking them both down.
"Out!" a mechanical voice called as automated glyphs teleported the fallen duo off the course.
Fred yelled, "Right side!"
June ducked. He vaulted. She rolled. They crossed the spinning rings in sync as their bodies moved like a single essence flame.
---
Phase 2: The Maze of Echoes
Walls of glowing light created a winding path that changed positions every few seconds. Inside, distorted voices echoed—illusions meant to confuse and unnerve.
"June, behind us!" Fred warned as a wall shifted suddenly.
"No, left!" she countered.
She was right. He hesitated—but trusted her. They narrowly escaped a collapsing path as their chain lit up, dancing with energy.
Meanwhile, another pair screamed in terror. One student chased a fake echo of their partner's voice—and slammed into a wall. They were instantly ejected.
"Room B's not holding back!" Cyra shouted. "It's down to thirty-five teams already!"
---
Phase 3: Essence Balance Beams
Thin beams hovered above a murky green pit. Each step drained a fraction of essence, forcing students to adjust their aura output in real time.
If one partner surged too much power or too little, the chain jerked.
June narrowed her eyes. "Match my rhythm. Feel my flow."
Fred steadied his breath. "With you."
Step by step, they walked across as a synchronized ripple glowed along their chain. Students behind them screamed as they plunged into the sludge.
---
Phase 4: The Essence Storm Tunnel
A spiraling corridor of wind and essence lightning blasted against the competitors. Protective barriers weakened with each second they stood still.
"Run or get fried," Fred said.
They ran.
Blue sparks lashed their skin. Their auras flickered dangerously—but they screamed and pushed forward, dodging flying debris and warping currents. One team was struck by a surge and launched sideways, both landing unconscious.
"Fred!" June shouted. He had slipped.
She dug her heel in, the chain tightening, and yanked him up just as lightning struck where he had fallen.
"Thanks for the save," he panted.
"Don't mention it till we cross."
---
Phase 5: The Pulse Grid
Tiled platforms blinked in a glowing pattern. Each step had to match the pulsing beat or it would explode with kinetic force.
Fred led. June followed.
Their rhythm? Flawless.
They danced across the tiles like flame over oil. Behind them, a pair missed a step—BOOM. Essence shockwave knocked them out cold.
"Only ten teams left!" Cairo shouted.
June and Fred's chain blazed with synchronized brilliance, glowing like a flowing crimson rope.
---
Final Phase: Leap of Unity
A massive gap, twenty feet wide, separated the final platform. The aura chain shimmered, testing every ounce of the bond.
"Now!" they shouted together.
They leapt—one mind, one will. Midair, their auras merged into a brief corona of light.
They landed together, knees hitting the final platform as the crowd erupted.
40:02.
New Record.
"Unbelievable!" Cyra shrieked. "June and Fred just smashed the previous record by a full minute and a half!"
The crowd exploded. Thunderous claps. Chanting. Students banged their feet on the stands.
Back in the seats—
Jay was curled in Logan's arms, sobbing. "She's amazing. And I lost her to a man named Fred."
"Bro, she didn't leave you. You never had her. Besides this is just a frickin game"
"Don't ruin this for me," Jay whimpered.
Logan's drone captured the scene and immediately wiped it from every essence feed in real time.
"I got you, bro."
---
As the last few pairs limped across the finish line, many collapsing or falling apart mid-jump, the timer struck zero.
BWOOOOOM!
The evaluation ended.
Scores lit up the screen:
---
Top Pairs:
1. June & Fred – 40:02 – 50 Points (Record Bonus)
2. Nia & Bronn – 50:10 – 42 Points
3. Elric & Val – 51:55 – 41 Points
...
Disqualified: 10 Pairs
Failed (Did Not Finish): 14 Pairs
As June and Fred raised their hands in victory, the coliseum roared again. Their names were etched into the archives of Crimson Academy's greats.
And above them, the screen shifted.
Now loading... Room A Dungeon Evaluation
And the real chaos was yet to begin.