Unlike first-year students who were just getting a grasp on their elemental powers, the second-year course is full of activities and challenges organized for students to prove their powers. There were a couple of main events held throughout the year, and the first one, highly anticipated, was just in time.

It was the Amellan Relay Race.

Unlike Tachde-tu which was a professional sport and has national competitions against other academies, those events were held locally in place of second-year mid-terms and would gain traction from many academy students. It was normal for freshmen students to watch from the audience at the main event.

Smaller relay races have been held at academy grounds during second-year practical classes for the past weeks, but now was the time for the final showdown between the best teams. The position of victors was highly desired and came with perks and rewards. For ambitious student looking to make themselves renowned, it was crucial to secure their position in the finale.

As they were the best of the best, the scale of the final course was too big and complex to be executed at the academy grounds. Luckily, there was plenty of space outside the walls and the grounds for the event have been prepared.

“Which part of the course are we going to watch?” Isaac asked, excitement evident in his voice as their squad was making their way toward the audience grounds.

The race was long, stretching through different terrain defined by the wilderness outside of Amellan walls. Not to mention the conditions for each element’s course differed largely. It was impossible to encompass it all from a single audience point.

To address this, the organizers have strategically set up different audience spots throughout the course. Each spot offers a specific perspective on a particular elemental course. The downside was that students had to choose which part of the race were they going to spectate.

“We’re going to be right by the water element section,” Andrea replied, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. “We have to support Keith, he’s Elena’s boyfriend after all.”

Maya gave a quick glance at Elena, expecting her to agree. However, Elena’s expression was blank like she didn’t even think or care about it.

“Sure,” Elena’s response lacked enthusiasm.

“But I was more interested in the air course,” Isaac interjected. “Adam’s friends are going that way…”

“Isaac, no offence, but you need to stop following Adam around like a lost puppy. Don’t you want to see what your elemental seniors are capable of?” Andrea was adamant. “Besides, their main obstacle is running on water. On water I say! Isn’t that insane!” Andrea exclaimed. She was deeply impressed by such a concept as a ground-bound child of earth element.

Linda patted dejected Isaac on the shoulder and they continued following the group that was headed in the water course direction accompanied by guards. Andrea was chirping about which’s and what’s the entire way so it didn’t feel long.

The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement as students chattered with anticipation. It appears that this audience section garnered considerable attention, with Keith emerging as one of the favourite candidates. His popularity at the academy was undeniable.

Reaching the site, the stalwart audience stands showed themselves before them. Stone seats were cut into the side of a hill, resembling those found in an ancient theatre. They overlooked a lake that served as the main stage for the water course of the Amellan Relay Race.

Maya found herself impressed by the structure itself. Every now and then, she couldn’t help but acknowledge that this world was one of magic, and such remarkable structures were beyond attainable in the modern world.

Teams with multiple members participate in the race, and each section of the course presents challenges tailored to specific elements. At every stage, team members faced elemental tasks before passing the baton to their next teammate. For example:

The Fire section involved igniting a series of torches while navigating challenging terrain. It required teams to light a certain number of torches using the most efficient route possible. The catch was that they couldn’t light already used torches, so their route depended on getting close enough to them to light them and the choice of ones that weren’t lit by the participants that ran there quicker. It required quick thinking and strategic decision-making to determine the optimal path and ensure a quick and successful completion of the task.

The Air section interested Maya the most. It required contestants to navigate a complex maze suspended in the air using nothing but their agility and control over the wind. The maze was made out of tall pillars, suspended ropes and swaying platforms that required careful balance and quick thinking. Only after successful completion were you able to pass the baton to the next contestant.

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At the end of the Water section, there was a container that needed to be filled up with water by each participant of this segment to pass further. It may seem simple but it was further from it. To get to the container, there was a small lake in the way. Going around it would be a considerable loss of time.

The best route was to run across the lake. A daunting task even for the Children of Water. Not to mention your opponents may attempt to disrupt you in order to get an advantage, and you need to bring enough water with you to fill the container in the fastest and most efficient way.

Finally, the Earth section featured artificially constructed earth walls lined up one after the other. The only way through was to break straight through them, testing contestants’ physical strength and endurance if brute force was used, or their recognition and strategic thinking if they searched for weak points in the walls to plan their path accordingly. A smarter approach involved uncovering hidden pathways within dirt walls with varying density segments that required skilful manoeuvring based on rock hardness levels.

The squad sat at the forest’s edge near the lake supporting Keith during his leg of the relay. For safety reasons, they watched through binoculars since he was quite far away on track. Unfortunately, they only had two pairs so Maya and Andrea, as well as Linda and Isaac, interchanged one pair between them, while Elena opted to rely on her eyes. One could mistake her for being considerate, but it may only been a way to hide the lack of her interest.

Despite facing intense pressure from opponents aiming for him, Keith strived to maintain Tachde-tu team’s reputation for skilled members. As Keith gracefully navigated the challenges unique to the water course, it became evident that he was in his element—literally. His movements were fluid, mirroring the undulating waves of the lake beneath him. Each step on the water’s surface displayed his control over the liquid element, and the audience watched in awe as he demonstrated the finesse of a true Child of Water.

“Did you see the artefacts that they will reward?” Andrea asked while the audience was at the edge of their seats.

“Uh-huh,” replied Maya, her eyes fixed on Keith’s progress.

“Honestly, I wish I was at the top to rack merits and buy fancy artefacts. It’s already midterm and I only have a couple of common merits,” she said with concern. “I worry about flunking the midterms and losing the few I have.”

“How do you know how many you got?” Maya asked as she handed the binoculars to Andrea for her turn.

Merits were a system included at the academy, but Maya was embarrassed to say she didn’t know much about it. Mainly because it was explained to them at the start of the trimester when Maya suffered an information overload.

The gist she got was that students are rewarded with merit points for various things. Such as academic success, club participation, special achievements and other deeds that benefit the academy. The most important fact was that it was the only way to acquire magical artefacts. And they were quite tempting, encouraging students to always give their very best.

In that department, Keith was Maya’s role model. She too had been dreaming of winning various artefacts, and as someone academically competitive, she strived for the top spots. The only flaw was that she was now bearing four times the load of an average student for the practical course.

“They list it at the end of each term. But You can ask at the student association. Your payment index is influenced by it so they got to know your current status,” Andrea clarified, while clenching her seat at the race finale.

Give it to Andrea to always be informed on such matters. She was a darling to have around due to always knowing such trivial information, or knowing someone who would know.

‘Oh, so when Amanda said she’ll adjust my pay she must’ve done it through the merit system. I probably have more undeserved merits than my friends.’

The water section soon came to an end. Students jumped up to cheer ecstatically at Keith’s close win, managing to overturn his rival at the mere end. While the atmosphere bubbled around her, Maya was still occupied with her thoughts.

Come to think of it, the merit system seems fair on the outside, but were there any measures in place that prevent superiors from manipulating it in favour of fond individuals, or against ones they particularly don’t like?

If it affects your income in real time, Maya wondered how many merits Elena has. Can they go into negative? Although, her financial struggles attest to the cost of feeding her addiction. Was she at the Headmistress’s mercy?

‘I don’t think Amanda would be so impartial to play it like that. Elena has been misbehaving enough to lose merits all on her own.’

Perhaps the conditions were much clearer than Maya’s current knowledge.

Although, she did wonder how lucrative it was to be a council member. They could not only recommend students for receiving merits but also receive them for their effort to run the academy. The top academy clubs must be racking points, as well…

The atmosphere at the stands was settling down as the contestants left to join the audience on the next course. The race didn’t stop with them and the baton of excitement was handed over to the earth course audience somewhere outside of their sight. Here, many students piled up around air contestants who joined here to hear their impressions.

A gust of wind whispered through the trees, causing Maya to shiver involuntarily. She suddenly stood up, tensing up under a strange sense of foreboding. Looking around stiffly, she was trying to discern the source of her unease.

Suddenly, Leo’s voice cut through the quiet, his expression grave. “It’s back!”

Chills went down her spine. The rabid beast they had almost encountered before was approaching them. No one was yet aware of the danger.