Felix stood on the field, rolling his shoulders and bouncing lightly on his feet, like he was trying to shake off excess energy.
"Alright…" he muttered, lips curling into a grin. "Let's see what I can do."
The officer raised his hand.
"Begin."
Felix exploded forward.
Red lightning snapped at his heels as he sprinted, each step sharp and controlled. He wasn't reckless about it—every movement was deliberate, precise. His speed climbed fast, nearly matching Beatrix's earlier run.
Gasps rippled through the sidelines.
"What the hell is that?!"
"I've never seen lightning like that before!"
Felix lifted one hand as he ran, sparks gathering along his fingers. The energy twisted and shaped itself, forming the outline of a bow made entirely of crackling red light.
His grin widened as he pulled back an invisible string.
Raze's eyes widened.
'Red lightning… I've never seen or even heard of anything like that before.'
Beatrix crossed her arms, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"Finally," she said quietly. "Someone worth competing with."
Felix released.
The arrow tore through the air and then split.
Three streaks of red lightning slammed into the combat robots almost simultaneously.
The machines shuddered, sparks bursting from their frames before they collapsed into scorched heaps.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The officer's lips twitched upward just slightly.
'Two in a row. Not bad.'
At the strength test, Felix stepped up to the pillar and shot Beatrix a playful wink.
"No way I'm letting someone that good-looking walk out of my sight," he muttered under his breath.
Red lightning crawled up his arm, wrapping around his fist.
With a sharp shout, he drove it forward.
The impact thundered through the room. Stone shattered, leaving behind a smoking crater as chunks of debris scattered across the floor.
Raze stared.
'That's raw power… and precision. And he was talking to me? Even after I said I'm not from a bloodline?'
Beatrix raised a brow, clearly impressed despite herself.
"Strength test complete," the officer said, tapping his tablet.
Whispers spread through the group. Some students stared openly, eyes wide. Others shifted uneasily, suddenly aware of how far behind they might be.
Raze glanced at them, then back at Felix.
'If he can do that… then I can too. I just need to keep leveling up.'
Felix moved to the starting line for the speed test. Red lightning curled around his body, restless, snapping against the ground like it couldn't wait to be unleashed.
"Begin!" the officer barked.
Felix vanished.
A streak of red light tore down the track as the markers lit up one after another in rapid succession. He pushed hard, his pace brushing dangerously close to Beatrix's record.
At the finish line, he skidded to a stop and turned, breath steady, grin firmly in place.
The officer shook his head, a smirk breaking through.
"Show-off."
Gasps followed.
"No way he's that fast!"
"What bloodline does that?!"
One student spoke up with certainty.
"That's the Blaze Bloodline. One of the Originals."
Raze frowned.
'Blaze Bloodline? I've never even heard of it…'
Beatrix folded her arms, golden eyes narrowing slightly.
'Red lightning… maybe this won't be as dull as I thought.'
Her gaze flicked briefly to Raze, then back to Felix.
'Two people worth paying attention to.'
The officer made a few notes on his tablet. Emberfall. A boy with no awakening but abnormal results. And now Blaze.
'This batch is promising.'
Felix left the track and walked straight toward Raze, hands behind his head, grinning like he'd just finished a warm-up.
"So?" he asked. "Impressive, right?"
Raze nodded. "It was impressive, but…"
He trailed off.
He'd read plenty about bloodlines over the years. Watched matches. Studied reports.
Nothing like this.
Felix tilted his head, catching the hesitation. "Curious, huh? Let's just say it's not a bloodline that likes attention. The fewer people who know, the better."
Raze's brows knit together.
'A bloodline that hides itself?'
Felix laughed and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Don't overthink it. You won't find anyone else like me here."
Raze stayed quiet as Felix walked off, his thoughts turning over slowly.
'A secret bloodline… then Felix isn't just loud.'
He watched the red lightning fade from view.
'He's dangerous.'