Rising of the Running God

Eyemask 21

"Get… Get off me!"

Vale's groans and frustrated whispers were being drowned by the hurried screams of the other examinees that were currently trying to drag him down, quite literally. The race had already been going on for minutes, and he wasn't even halfway to the finish line because there were still some that wanted to pass through different means.

"I said get off!"

Vale kicked his feet as a woman suddenly grabbed his leg. But even then, they persisted like ants. There were already other people who passed the halfway point; and if this continues further, he might actually not be able to move on to the next phase.

"Fuckers… I didn't want to do this!"

Vale then let out a roar as he leaped almost 4 meters into the air— and with the sound of thunder, an invisible force pushed him straight back into the ground; his fists slamming violently onto the field.

"!!!"

The soft ground instantly burst; erupting into a wall and burying most of the people that were following him.

"..." Vale looked at the men and women on the ground for a few seconds; his eyes, slightly trembling. But with a deep breath, he shook his head and once focused his steps to the goal.

"Let's just compete fair and square," Vale whispered, before letting out a sarcastic breath— fair and square; someone with a Blessing shouldn't be saying that to normal people.

But then again, seeing the ones that were already ahead of him— it wasn't only him that had a Blessing. There was even one that was sliding on a path of ice that emerged from nowhere.

"Hm," a small smirk then appeared on Vale's face, before placing his hands behind his back; and once again, with a breath and a thunder, he plunged forward at an insane speed.

At the same time, Vayne was still at the starting line; kneeling, his eyes only looking forward.

"Well then…

…shall we do this?"

The ground beneath him rippled; a whirring whistle, echoing from where he knelt. The whistle was quiet; almost a whisper. But even then, it did not fail to travel to the ears of one— Valerion.

He was just speaking to the other Explorers as he watched his son take the lead, but then quickly turned his head toward Vayne.

"That one…" He then said; the other explorers, also turning their heads to where he was looking, "...Why hasn't he moved yet?"

"Maybe he has already given up?"

"There's no need to pay attention to those. These kids of the new generation easily get downhearted."

"Oh yes, it wasn't like our time, Valerion."

"Look! Your son is widening the lead!"

The other Explorers then started laughing as they turned their focus back on the race. As for Valerion, his attention was still fully focused on Vayne; his eyes, slightly squinting as he noticed a weird aura enveloping Vayne. It was hard to notice because of the cloak he was wearing, but if one were to focus on his hands, one would see them vib— !!!

And before Valerion could finish his thoughts, Vayne suddenly disappeared from his spot— the ground behind him, violently rippling before turning into a wave that almost fanned in meters.

"...Interesting,"

And as soon as he said that, a purple Aura suddenly erupted from his body— almost like a dense smoke that violently danced in the air.

"V… Valerion!?"

The other explorers beside him were almost blown away as soon as the Aura touched them; Valerion, however, did not even heed them any mind as his eyes followed the feint blur that was moving through the track— passing hundreds of other examinees in a single swoop.

"..." He could also see him just stop, before weaving through the crowd in front of him.

"I might have to stay until the end of the exam," Valerion then whispered as the Aura around him finally faded, turning into a warmer blue as he looked back at Vale,

"I have a feeling this is going to be fun."

***

"This… This is so much fun!"

Vayne could feel his mind still being rammed by a million hammers, but still— he completely chose to ignore it as he looked at all the people that he was leaving behind. Their heads and eyes were slowly turning towards him as he did so, but he would already be gone.

He was expecting a bout of wind threatening to blow his face off, but there was nothing— it was as if there was a shield covering his entire person as he ran; there was nothing there.

What was there, however, was the urge to push someone— it was weird. But as soon as he remembered what happened to the uruc, perhaps it would be best not to give in to the weird urge that was suddenly clouding his morals.

And then, he passed the halfway point— he turned back to see all the people behind him, only to see their eyes very slowly widening.

He didn't really know how fast he was going in their perspective… but seeing as they could pass them even as he ran backward, it was safe to say that no one was going to catch him anytime soo— !!!

And then, all of a sudden, Vayne found himself looking at the bright ceiling of the vast hall. His surroundings, once again reverting back to their normal speed as he felt himself rolling and sliding on the cold… slippery ground.

"..." Vayne could really only blink a couple of times as he continued to slide on his back. He then slightly turned his head to the side, only for his cheek to brush… on the platform of ice beneath him.

Vayne didn't know what hurt more— the pain of rolling on the ground several times, or the embarrassment as he saw the smirks and heard the chuckles of the people looking and passing him.

"..." Vayne then carefully sat up; patting his cloak before walking to the side where the platform of ice did not reach. He learned a valuable lesson here— always look at where you're going.

And so, with a breath, Vayne once again started to run— immediately passing those who passed him again. And this time, he no longer played; his path, now only forward.

Vayne then turned to look at those that were ahead of the line; and if he was right, Vale was about to reach the end of the hall.

"Well, well," a smirk then slowly crawled on Vayne's face as he pushed his legs to go faster— once again overtaking a hundred people in one fell swoop until he was now on the same line as the sole examinee following closely behind Vale.

"..." Vayne then turned slightly turned his head to the woman… skating beside him; leaving a road of ice where she traversed.

"...So it was you."

The woman then very slowly also turned his head towards Vayne, and as soon as she saw the weird blur moving close to her, she quickly tumbled to the ground and tripped.

Vayne could really only look away with his shoulders slightly raised. He didn't want to laugh, so he just focused his attention on the growing wall in front of him. His legs, not even getting tired.

And soon, he was now running beside his brother.

"W… what the fuck?" Vale could not help but look back and forth between the finish line and the weird blur that was suddenly moving beside him. It was weird, but for some reason… it felt like the blur was smirking at him.

And then, all of a sudden, he could see an arm moving and emerging from the blur… and very soon, a middle finger was raised towards him.

"...What the fuck!?" Vale quickly turned his head to the goal, before a thunder once again erupted from behind him; this time, several times as his speed almost tripled,

"I'm… I'm going to win this!" He then let out a roar as the wall got closer and closer, only meters away now, "Father, are you seeing thi—"

*BOOM*

And before he could even finish his early celebration…

…he saw something crash through the moldy wall.

"...What?" Vale could really only blink a couple of times as he moved his hands to the front, softening his landing as he touched the wall that was supposed to be his to first claim.

"..." He then watched as the bits and pieces of the wall started to crumble and drop to the ground; a person covered entirely in a black cloak, stepping out of the man-shaped hole.

He could hear him groaning in pain, but nonetheless, he pulled himself from the wall.

"..." Vayne then turned his head towards Vale, before another smirk crawled on his face.

"...A mask?" Vale blinked as he saw Vayne's face, half of it fully covered by an eye mask.

"Yes…" Vayne then let out a whisper as he turned around and looked at the wall. And with a breath that almost sucked in the grass beneath him…

…he howled.

"Yes!" Vayne raised his hands in the air; his raging howl, reverberating throughout the entire hall,

"I have done it! Destiny is mine!" He then started laughing on his own; only stopping as Vale approached him,

"What… what do you want?"

"...Your arm."

"Huh?" Vayne then quickly looked to where Vale was pointing to…

…only to see his left arm flailing with the wind, twisted in a way it shouldn't.

"...Oh."