Enjoying the view alone.
'Zone' was merely a process, not the goal.
Just like what Sunday Silence pursued was never victory in a race.
From the moment Silence Suzuka began running, the two of them stopped talking. The clip-clop of iron-shod hooves striking the ground was carried away by the riverside breeze.
Once, the young girl had overheard Agnes Tachyon mention it.
The Great Escape was the running style closest to the essence of the Uma Musume. They were born to run, free and unconstrained.
And this brings up the history of the Uma Musume.
They were by humanity's side since the dawn of human existence.
Initially, there were no competitions among them.
It wasn't until later that empires like ancient Egypt and Babylon discovered that races between Uma Musume were highly entertaining. They turned it into a pastime, planting the seed for future generations.
It was in 17th century England that people began formally breeding specialized racing Uma Musume, aptly named 'Uma Musume', and established the first Uma Musume academy.
"Eclipse First, The Rest Nowhere."
This phrase is the motto of Tracen Academy.
One horse leads, ten thousand are cast into shadow.
But the original meaning wasn't quite like that.
'Eclipse'.
The name of an Uma Musume. She was the head of the world's first Uma Musume academy, and the one who spread competitive racing among Uma Musume across the globe.
She was the strongest Uma Musume in the world, as if heaven had sent this emperor, who didn't belong to this world, down to earth just to mess with humanity.
A legend among legends, the beginning of the phenomenon, the founder of the racing century—Eclipse.
Some rumors say she was one of the Three Goddesses descended, building this dazzling stage with speed that transcended the era.
Others claim she was a descendant of the goddess Darley Arabian, tasked with protecting the Uma Musume created by the Three Goddesses.
There's also talk that she was the first Uma Musume fashioned by the Three Goddesses, and the most perfect one.
But regardless of which legend, they all confirm one idea: Eclipse's power was unmatched.
And this figure, who exists only in historical records, the founder of the very first Uma Musume academy in the world, her running style was the Great Escape—the great front-run.
No holding back in a race, always a dominant victory.
An exaggerated rumor says that if you had just arrived at the racecourse gates when Eclipse's race started, you should just run for the stands, because that way you might still catch her crossing the finish line.
People couldn't know how the Three Goddesses ran, but they knew Eclipse's running form.
Infinitely close to perfect.
Full effort from the start, full effort at the end.
Always maintaining top speed.
This was the escape of the great front-runner.
After Eclipse, no one has ever been able to achieve it again.
People of that time had hoped Eclipse would teach her methods and abilities to her students.
But unfortunately, before they could even make the request, Eclipse disappeared.
Not just her person, but all records of Eclipse vanished one day, as if that entire stretch of history had been cleanly severed.
The last place Eclipse was seen was a vast, endless grassland, the blue sky spread over her head like a scroll.
After that, there were no more records of Eclipse.
Did she retire, choosing to leave the world of Uma Musume? Or was there some other reason she left the academy?
Or perhaps, the records were simply lost.
No one knows. The record of this legendary Uma Musume is forever frozen on that boundless grassland.
But her deeds live on in the stories of the Uma Musume, and her experience has been adopted as a motto, engraved into the school precepts of various Uma Musume academies.
Eclipse First, The Rest Nowhere.
It reveals the cruelty of competition while silently conveying the tale of this Uma Musume.
Watching Silence Suzuka grow faster and faster, the young girl clung close behind her.
Focused... that was one way to put it.
Silence Suzuka's level of concentration was unlike anyone the young girl had ever seen.
Her gaze wasn't fixed on the finish line, but on a point far beyond it.
This highlighted the difference between her and the young girl.
To enter the Zone, the young girl had to achieve extreme mental focus, which required setting a tangible target.
This target could be a person or an object, anything visible, it didn't matter what.
She needed this target as a trigger to help her enter that hyper-focused state.
When racing against Narita Brian and others, she looked at the finish line.
When racing against Maruzensky, she looked at Maruzensky.
Different Zones focused on different targets.
But Silence Suzuka shattered this conventional notion.
When she entered her hyper-focused state, what she focused on wasn't a physical target.
It was a concept.
Ahead. Her object of concentration was 'Ahead'.
She needed no person, no object, not even the finish line.
For her, 'ahead' was everything. She wanted to enjoy this solitary, people-less scenery alone, and she simply yearned for that elusive, unreachable light.
This was the decisive difference between her and the young girl.
Entering the Zone actively, versus forcing entry into the Zone. The two might sound similar, but they were fundamentally worlds apart.
As Sunday Silence had said, what she lacked wasn't awareness, nor ability, but the right state of mind on the track.
Unconsciously, her running form had been influenced by various abilities and tactics. It was no longer fluid and controlled, but constantly switching methods.
Thus, she drifted further and further from what was 'natural'.
This was probably what Sunday Silence had been trying to tell her.
The young girl chased after Silence Suzuka's footsteps. Just then, the orange-haired girl maintained squarely in the center of her vision suddenly flashed into a fiery red.
The asphalt road instantly transformed into a clear, grassy field, the rustling sound of running echoing in her ears.
Her mind reeled for a moment. The young girl closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the vision was gone.
An illusion?
She frowned.
For a split second, it was as if she had seen that scene which kept appearing in her dreams.
What was going on...
Her gaze sharpened as she looked beside her.
She could sense it—Sunday Silence was here. But her presence felt different from ever before.
As if dissolved into the air, becoming one with the world.
That seemed like a fitting description.
"How nostalgic."
Inadvertently, the young girl heard such a voice.
What was she saying... nostalgic?
At that moment, the young girl's eyes widened.
Before her eyes, a scene slowly unfolded—
"Hey there, little one. Are you out here all alone? Ah... don't be so wary. I just got drawn here by your running form."
A young black-haired girl looked suspiciously at the person in front of her.
Fiery red hair, snowy white streaks. The woman spoke words meant to lower guard while moving closer.
"Where did you learn to run like that?" the other asked.
The young girl still looked wary, but she answered, "I figured it out myself."
"No one taught you?"
She shook her head.
"I see…" Muttering softly, the woman crouched down, bringing her emerald green eyes level with the young girl's.
"It's a very beautiful form. It reminds me of them."
"...Them?"
"Yes, three truly remarkable individuals. I grew up in their embrace."
Reaching out, the woman patted the young girl's head.
"Mind if I tell you about them?"
The story of the Three Goddesses.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.