EQUINOX || The Catalysts Series, #3

XVII

To say the opening ceremony of Arcane Academy's Annual Games is grand is an understatement. To Lena, it's more than glorious; it's beyond indecipherable in language because words do not do it justice.

The usual fifth dimensional setting of Arcane Academy is opened up, unraveled. A field-size stadium is raised on a building-high stand, soaring amidst some of the buildings and weaving flying cars. As one of the icons of the Static—the core centre of the City of Leatia—Arcane Academy's playing field is raised like a live stage in the midst of the bustle of city life. Cameras are pointed at every angle of the sparse and currently empty and open field, broadcasting it at real time to the rest of the city. The footages are reflected over every building's digital screen, and on every live media broadcast output in transportations such as the Aerotrain. In other words, it's a huge spectacle no one is able to miss.

Lena arrives with her jaw dropped even before reaching the gates of Arcane Academy; she spots the grand scenario streets away.

The buildings reflect an empty field now, but Lena can already picture the students taking their glorious moments there. The feed is flickering between live shots of the stadium and highlights from the interviews of several top students over the past week.

As Lena wedges between two skyscrapers to reach Arcane Academy, Azalea's voice plays across and above all noises: "We are students of the future. We play only to win."

That's one kind of thinking. For Lena, she's lucky to be playing.

Taking a deep breath, Lena steadies herself before the gates of Arcane Academy. She recalls the first time she's stepped before the entrance and smiles, knowing how long since then she's been in this city and this academy—acknowledging all that's happened since then. All the memories that are real.

And she's determined to solidify this life, live more real moments.

Lena pushes open the gates, and weaves through the dimensions not of her own making. Upon arriving onto familiar ground, Lena is greeted by a wave of enthusiasm. The atmosphere is literally brimming with excitement, radiating energy. She wonders briefly what Caelus might pick up if he were here; he's a walking battery of the atmosphere.

Students are gathered in every corner of the open setting: across the lawn and sports area, at the corridors surrounding the field, the steps to the buildings, near the fountain. Over the top of the cluster of the academic buildings is where the stage is raised, and the students will have to use the warp technology at the base to get up there—similar to how people get up to the Aerotrain platform.

Everyone is warming up: either through stretching or outright blasting their abilities, with the latter more prominent because Lena sees the flashes of battle and bursts of energy everywhere.

What's it like playing a game of superpowers in front of the world? Lena wonders, craning her head to look at the towering structure. Her palms are sweaty just thinking about it—and she isn't sure if it's because of the typical nervousness before a competition, or merely the full height she foresees that she will be standing on. Pitiful, for her to have faced that common fear in Precision so many times and still can't do much about it in real life.

The opening event is compulsory for all students, and therefore the nerves building up in this space. While most for the students are eager to join the Annual Games for an opportunity to prove themselves publicly behind the enclosed trials, there are some that prefer the lay low or take it slow after the trials. This is the minority however, and most of the students are still pridefully ready to compete against one another, evident in the early morning warmup duels against each other.

As for Lena, she has conflicting thoughts about this whole agenda. She'd achieved the purpose of laying low for the trials to keep her dangerous—not destructive, but world-triggering kind of risky—abilities in check, but what's stopping her from accidentally showing her abilities' nature in front of an audience? And yet, Arcana made this year's games compulsory; Lena is also rather hyped up for the event because of her peers. Yes, she's had enough high stakes kind of battles for the time being, but she also can't deny the rush of adrenaline and the thirst for battle she developed over her time here in the academy of high flying students.