Alexa stood at the threshold of the classroom, his legs feeling like they were filled with molten lead. To the rest of the Academy students, he was just a "charity case" scholarship student who had wandered out of a lesson. They didn't see the translucent red timer ticking down in his retinas.
[Time Remaining: 00:03:12]
[Distance Remaining: 412 Meters]
His mind flickered back to the cold night ten years ago. He remembered the smell of rain and the rough fabric of a basket. Uncle Shadow had stood over him, a silhouette against the moon, whispering, "This is for your safety, Little Prince. To the world, you must be a ghost."
A maid had found him on the steps of the Walker Estate. The master, Aldorn Walker, a man with a stern face but a momentarily soft heart, had taken him in. He had been raised alongside the "true" heirs, but he was never one of them.
"Where do you think you're going, trash?"
A hand slammed against the doorframe, blocking Alexa's path. It was Fredreck. He was taller, broader, and smelled of expensive mana-oils. Behind him, his usual pack of followers snickered.
"I have... to go," Alexa rasped. His throat was parched. Every breath felt like inhaling glass.
"Look at him," Fredreck mocked, turning to the class. "My 'brother' can't even handle a basic theory lesson. He's sweating like a pig just sitting at a desk. Maybe the commoner blood is finally curdling?"
In the second row, a girl with sharp eyes and long, dark hair stood up. Alis. Unlike the others, she didn't laugh. She looked at Alexa with a mix of worry and frustration. "Fredreck, let him through. He clearly doesn't feel well."
Fredreck's face darkened at her intervention. He hated that Alis—the only person in the house with true potential—always wasted her breath on the "stray." He was envious of the way she looked at Alexa, with a genuine warmth she never showed her biological brother.
"Stay out of this, Alis," Fredreck snapped. He turned back to Alexa, his hand beginning to glow with a faint, orange light. "You want to leave? Crawl. If you crawl between my legs, I'll let you go to the infirmary."
[ALERT: Heart Rate Exceeding 190 BPM.]
[WARNING: 00:01:45 remaining. Prepare for Cardiac Arrest.]
Alexa's vision blurred. The "Dormant Darkness" in his gut surged, a cold black fire that wanted to tear Fredreck's arm off. But he forced it down. If he showed power now, the Headmaster would know. Uncle Shadow's sacrifice would be for nothing.
"Move," Alexa said, his voice dropping an octave.
Fredreck laughed, a harsh, jagged sound. "Or what? You'll tell Dad? The man who can't even remember your name half the time? Or maybe our mother? Oh, wait—Bernice barely remembers you exist unless she's ordering you to clean something."
The hallway seemed to stretch. 300 meters. He had to get to the courtyard. He had to finish the run.
Alexa didn't crawl. He didn't fight. Instead, he dropped his shoulder and bolted. He slammed into Fredreck's chest with the raw, unpolished strength he had gained from the previous 29 kilometers.
Fredreck, caught off guard by the sudden burst of speed, stumbled back. "You little—!"
Alexa didn't look back. He burst through the hallway, his lungs screaming. He hit the open air of the courtyard, his boots thudding against the stone.
[200 Meters...]
[100 Meters...]
The world began to tilt. His heart gave a jagged, agonizing thump. He fell to his knees, his fingers clawing at the dirt, dragging his body forward.
[50 Meters...]
[10 Meters...]
Just... one... more...
[0.0 KM REACHED.]
[DAILY QUEST COMPLETE.]
The crushing weight on his chest vanished instantly. A cooling sensation flooded his veins, repairing the micro-tears in his muscles.
[Reward: Divine Essence Potion (Strength) - Consuming...]
[Strength +5]
[Agility +2]
Alexa lay face-down in the dirt, gasping. A shadow fell over him. He expected Fredreck's boot. Instead, he felt a small, cool hand on his shoulder.
"You're going to kill yourself doing this, Alexa," Alis whispered, kneeling beside him. "Why do you run until you break? What are you hiding?"
Alexa looked up at her, his eyes flashing with a purple light so brief she thought she imagined it. "I'm not hiding, Alis," he whispered. "I'm preparing."