Returning to the platform next to the portal, Lennox's swift exit from the Nexus Maze left the crowd in a state of collective murmurs and whispers Gasps of surprise punctuated the air as eyes widened, accompanied by the occasional gasp and hushed chatter.
"Look, Lennox is out already. How's that possible?"
"I don't know, maybe he failed."
"Maybe so far he's the only one out."
Disdain and curiosity spread through the crowd as people questioned how he passed the maze so quickly. Did he cheat? Did the maze malfunction? Doubts lingered about whether his abilities alone could account for such a speedy completion, with their eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed as they pondered whether Lennox's speed was a result of skill or something else.
Some students, feeling threatened by Lennox's speedy completion, adopted dismissive attitudes. They downplayed the significance of the Nexus Maze trial.
"He might have breezed through this, but it's just the beginning. There are more challenging tasks ahead."
"Finishing fast doesn't mean much. Let's see how he handles the real trials."
But While he knew that the nexarc students will dislike him unexpectedly in the crowed there where some good nexarcs as group of nexarcs who recognized Lennox's potential applauded his rapid success. Some supportive nexarcs offered words of encouragement to Lennox, recognizing his achievement as a testament to hard work and dedication. They whispered phrases like, "Impressive skills, Lennox!"
"Hard work pays off. Don't let the naysayers get to you."
Nexarch Valarian smirked slightly. 'He's out already. Is that possible? One of the fastest finishes in years... I definitely have to check how long he took,' he thought.
Nadia, with her own experience and keen understanding of Nexus Energy, approached Lennox with a knowing smile. Her acknowledgment of his proficiency in Nexus perception highlighted the uniqueness of his abilities. Nadia, having undergone the trials herself, recognized the challenges posed by the Nexus Maze and appreciated Lennox's swift success.
"Well done, Lennox. Your Nexus perception is remarkable. It seems your progress has truly paid off," Nadia remarked.
Lennox nodded appreciatively and then made his way to Nexarch Valarian, acknowledging him with a nod. Val responded in kind, infusing his Nexus energy into the jade tablet and creating a multicolored portal with a throw towards the second stone.
"This is the Elemental Forge," Nexarch ValarianĀ announced.
Lennox walked through the portal and instantly felt a wave of heat against his body. As he emerged on the other side, he found himself surrounded by lava, with multiple volcanoes spewing molten fire.
"Even with my fire, I can barely handle the heat or match the fire coming at me," Lennox thought.
Surveying the area, he noticed floating platforms suspended over pools of molten lava, with flames shooting up intermittently. Lennox wiped the sweat off his forehead, recognizing the intensity of the heat. "Gotta move quickly," he muttered, confidently stating, "Crossing the platforms without getting burned. Easy," as he occasionally wiped away beads of sweat
But also while he continued to survey the intense landscape, the heat bearing down on him, he couldn't help but marvel at the Elemental Forge's design. The fiery volcanoes, spewing molten fire into the air.
Observing the flames dancing on the platforms, he also noticed a pattern in the timing of the eruptions.
"Calculating the timing and rhythm, I can easily cross," he thought.
As he looked back down, an intense flame shot up. Waiting a couple of seconds for it to recede, he jumped onto another platform. Swallowing his saliva, he assessed the new platform, but suddenly, a strong wave of flame shot up. After a couple of seconds, the flame remained up.
"What's happening?" Lennox questioned, puzzled.
After five minutes of increasing frustration, he was angry and annoyed because the strong flame persisted, growing stronger with each passing minute. "What's your problem? Why won't you go back down?" he shouted angrily.
As Lennox shouted in frustration, another large flame shot up, merging with the others and creating a massive blaze. His initial surprise turned to a tight-lipped mutter of "Darn it," accompanied by tightened jaws and slightly slumped shoulders. Frustration visibly etched across his features.
Then, another flame shot up, prompting Lennox to notice a peculiar pattern. Experimenting with the flames, he shouted "dammit," and two more flames shot up, merging with the others. It was then that he realized something odd.
As Lennox grappled with the persistent flames in the Elemental Forge, a surprising realization dawned upon him. Every time he expressed anger or frustration, more flames shot up, creating a massive blaze. The connection between his emotions and the elemental fire became evident, leading Lennox to coin the term "emotion-fire."
"Every time I get angrier, more flames shoot up. Is this supposed to be my emotion-fire, meaning anger?" Lennox mused aloud, contemplating the newfound aspect of his abilities.
As Lennox said his last word, yet another flame shot up, annoying him. Determined to understand, he decided to calm down. Slowly breathing in and exhaling, he managed to pacify two of the flames, but one strangely remained.
"I'm no longer angry; why is the fire still there?" Lennox exclaimed with slow breathing.
Searching his mind, he understood why the other flames stayed up. Clenching his fist and gritting his teeth, he acknowledged his anger about not being able to protect his sister. "I couldn't do more for her," he thought angrily, causing multiple flames to surge.
Lennox gazed at the pillar of flames and reflected, "I was the only one she had. I couldn't protect her, but I also can't be angry because I didn't have the ability to do so. Right now, I should be happy now that I do." As he spoke, most of the pillar of flames receded. "So when I find her, I will protect her from everything, no matter the sacrifice, as I did on Terra. I sacrificed a lot to try to find her, but it was all pointless. But now it will not be."
With his last words, Lennox's dry mouth breathed heavily from exhaustion, and all the pillars of flames instantly subsided into the fire. "I really can't be angry at myself for something I had no control over or couldn't stop," he admitted.
With the flames gone, Lennox easily jumped onto the next platform, reaching the end with a portal. "Is this all for the trial?" he questioned before entering the portal.
Upon entering the next portal, he heard the heavy sound of water, feeling wet as he emerged on the other side. A large wall of water crashed down onto stone, and he realized that every path forward was sealed off by water, his eyes revealed a deep introspection.
Closing his eyes, feeling the water droplets against his face, Lennox slowly walked forward into the water. The weight of the water slammed against his body, making it feel like a car was on top of him. He gritted his teeth through the pressure, realizing that he was underwater and fearing he might drown. Simultaneously, the water slammed against him more heavily, causing him to kneel on one knee.
"What happened? I feel like a mountain is on top of me," Lennox thought.
Deciding not to talk due to the fear of water filling his mouth and drowning him, he endured the relentless onslaught of water. As it slammed against him even more forcefully, he found himself flat on the ground, feeling pain all over his body. Despite the pain, he pushed his body up through the water, determined to continue.
The water roared around him, echoing with a powerful "splash" each time it crashed against the stone. Lennox's labored breaths were punctuated by the rhythmic "thuds" as he struggled against the force of the water.
With each push forward, Lennox fought against the underwater pressure, his movements accompanied by the persistent whoosh of water resistance. As he neared the surface, the gasp of air escaping his lungs echoed in the cavernous environment.
Despite all his efforts, Lennox found himself unable to get up from the mud. Frustrated, he pondered, "What am I doing wrong? For now, just keep pushing," he thought, determined to persist.
"Okay, calm down. Think this through. This might be another emotion test," Lennox thought, attempting to calm himself. "What emotions have I experienced so far?" he considered.
"Fear," Lennox realized. "All I fear is drowning, so I have to lose my fear," he concluded. Understanding why the water felt heavy, he ignored the fear and focused on lessening the weight on his body. However, he still couldn't move.
"What other fear do I have?" Lennox questioned himself. Searching his mind, he discovered another fear. "I fear not having the strength to find myself, protect myself, or do what needs to be done. Even on Terra, I needed help at times, but the fear of being cast aside prevented me from asking for help. I wanted to do everything on my own because I feared being alone. That's why sleeping helps me forget about unnecessary worries," he reflected.
With the water weight lessened, Lennox was able to stand up, realizing that his biggest fear was having others around him. "But with strength, I don't have to fear them getting hurt. I just need to get stronger to protect and save my sister," he concluded. Fearlessly, he walked through the water, reaching another portal at the end.
On the other side, Lennox found himself facing a large mud pond. Confused about the nature of this trial, he wondered aloud, "All the trials might be emotion-based. I wonder what this one is linked to."
Deciding to test the mud's properties, Lennox performed a single jump, landing farther than ever before thanks to his enhanced body from ranking up. However, as he tried to move, his eyes widened, and his eyebrow raised as he realized something was wrong. "Hmm... I can't move. Is there something wrong with the mud?" he voiced his concern.
Suddenly, Lennox felt himself slowly being sucked into the mud. Questioning why and thinking quickly about the emotion linked to this trial, he realized the mud sped up, sucking him down further and faster until it reached his chest.
A sticky "squelch" echoed as the mud enveloped Lennox, his struggles marked by the subtle "slurp" of suction pulling him deeper. The frustration resurfaced in his tightened jaw, accompanied by muted "mutterings" as he grappled with the unexpected challenge. The slurping sounds intensified as Lennox attempted to break free, the mud clinging to him with a persistent "suction" that seemed almost alive.
"I can't let this mud control me," Lennox thought, as he grunts and struggles against the relentless pull. The mud, responding with an ominous "squish," seemed to resist his every effort.
As Lennox grappled with the sinking embrace of the mud, panic set in. Struggling to climb out, he felt the darkness closing in, suffocated by the earthy grip. With his mouth sealed off, the inability to breathe heightened the urgency of the situation.
"What emotion is linked to mud or maybe earth?" Lennox started to panic as he attempted to climb his way out of the mud. However, he found himself being slowly sucked down, surrounded by darkness. With his mouth closed off by the mud, he couldn't breathe. Reflecting on past emotions and their impact on him, he identified the emotion tied to this trial.
"That's it. Burden," Lennox thought. "Maybe it's being an Emberflare, having no parents and no one to care about me. I did everything on my own to get strong, but with the progress I've made in the past three months, I will get stronger. I hate myself for knowing, but I hate myself for not talking about it."
Feeling a release from being sucked down, Lennox easily pulled himself up out of the mud. "I had lived a simple and poor life, but now I had suddenly arrived at this lively academy. Any young man would find it hard to resist all the wonders and amazements and treasures that the world had to offer, but I still felt burdened to want to achieve something," he expressed.
Completing his ascent and standing on the mud, Lennox wiped off the mud from his face, shook off some remaining mud, and walked towards the portal. "Seems like all the tests are emotional," he remarked, entering the portal. Appearing on the other side, he felt a breeze before realizing he was falling down. He landed on a soft, comfortable cloud that bounced a little.
Lennox spread his hands, feeling the soft breeze on his skin. "Soft air, this emotion should be easy," he said with a smile. However, the cloud beneath him suddenly disappeared, and he fell through the air, eyes wide open before landing on another cloud.
"There's a time before I fall again," Lennox said, looking over and noticing the ground. "Based on what Theo does with his air control: happiness, laughter, relaxation," he thought.
"It may be that what's wrong is I only aim to get stronger, but I haven't had time to enjoy myself or be with others. I have been alone. I want to be alone, but after meeting Kira and Theo, I have been changing... even stopped reading for a while," Lennox admitted. "But while I've always been annoyed at Theo's jokes, I still have always enjoyed having him around and being with him. Kira, so far, seems to be the only one I can be open with as she's seems to be going through her own things."
Lennox noticed the cloud wasn't disappearing anymore. "Nadia, I'm grateful to her for mentoring me. While we don't spend time doing anything else beside training, I really have to spend more time with her."
After his last words, a portal appeared in front of him. He knew he had passed, but he decided to stay a little longer to feel the breeze before jumping into the portal.