Early in the morning, as the sun rose on the horizon, a crowd gathered in the northern part of the city, where the grand race would take place.
— Ahh... There are way more people than I expected. — Lucas murmured, yawning.
— You seem a bit tired. Didn't you sleep well? — Domingos asked, checking the condition of his boat.
— Nah, I'm fine, just a sleepless night.
— My young friend, you need proper rest to have energy. — Domingos commented, turning to face the young man.
— Alright... Anyway, are we ready? And what do I need to do?
— Almost ready, but we can go now.
Domingos and Lucas headed towards the northern area of the city to participate in the race. When they arrived, the young man was amazed by the variety of boats and different people lining up for the competition. Among all the race participants, Lucas was particularly impressed by those who stood out.
There was a boat made of pure ice, shining under the sunlight as if it were made of crystal. Despite its imposing size, which caused some awe, its beauty was undeniable. On the boat was a girl with silver hair, wearing a white dress with pink details. Her sky-blue eyes and innocent face captured the attention of many participants. By her side was a middle-aged man, probably her father, whose hair was also silver. He looked serious at anyone who approached the girl. The boat was taken care of by several workers dressed in white uniforms with distinct details.
Lucas began to wonder if the boat would melt during the race, as despite the morning being cold, it would soon warm up, and it wouldn't be fun to encounter mud along the way.
Another boat that caught the young man's attention was engulfed in flames. The flames seemed intense, keeping everyone away except the two people aboard. The boat wasn't very large, but it appeared fast and fierce.
Lucas pondered what would happen if it rained during the race, but considering they were in the desert, that possibility was practically nonexistent.
On that particular boat, there was a young man with a appearance similar to Lucas, probably the same age, and a little girl who was about 1.4 meters tall. The young man had short, red hair, and his red eyes attracted many women. The girl also had long hair and eyes of the same color, but she seemed easily irritated, making her less popular. Lucas assumed they were probably siblings.
Continuing his observation, Lucas noticed a lone girl on a boat so small that it resembled a dinghy. She was alone, calmly waiting for the race to begin. What caught Lucas' attention the most was the girl's peculiar appearance, with red scales on her cheeks and around her golden eyes. Additionally, two dragon wings emerged from her back, and her long red hair seemed to blend with scales.
— A dragon girl? Are there other races in this world!? — the young man thought, having only seen humans until now.
Finally, the last boat that caught his attention was made of pure iron. It seemed armored and was certainly filled with tricks. It was the boat Lucas feared the most.
Only one figure could be seen standing on the boat, a woman in a lab coat with an unwavering expression. She appeared to be in her twenties, with black hair and eyes as dark as the night.
After observing the other competitors, Lucas decided to question Domingos about those people.
— You don't know? Oh, I remember you didn't even know about AEs... — Domingos recalled before starting to explain. — Three of them come from important families in the country, while the dragon girl... Well, she's a rare case of a traveling dragon.
— Can you tell me more about it? — the young man inquired, seeking more information about the world.
— Sure, but I don't have many details about the half-dragon... Let's put her aside and talk about the others. — the old man said, turning to the ice boat. — The ice boat belongs to the Cubo de Gelo (Ice Cube) family. It seems one of the elders brought his daughter to show her more of the world.
— Hm... And the fire boat?
— The fire one belongs to the Incêndio (Burning/ Fire) family. The young man is the third son of the family leader, and the girl next to him is the older sister...
— Older sister? That little girl?
— Yes... Everyone who sees her for the first time thinks she's still a child, but in fact, she's 26 years old — Domingos commented. — They say she's so problematic that, even at that age, she refuses to get married and remains single to this day.
— Well, she looks like a little girl, so it would be weird for someone to want to marry her — Lucas replied, observing the girl.
— What are you talking about? I've seen even smaller girls getting married — the old man retorted, as if it were obvious.
— Eh!? — indignant, the young man looked again at the girl and wondered what was going on with that world. — ... Anyway, just explain the next one.
— Finally, the other boat is from the Autômato (Automaton) family, and the person there is the second daughter of the oldest elder in the family.
— Well, I don't know any of them, but if you remember all of them, they must be really important.
— They are part of the pillars supporting the country, so of course, they're important — Domingos affirmed, finishing up setting the boat's sails. — It looks like the race is about to begin.
(Good morning, everyone, dear viewers of the Estrela Guiadora (Guiding Star) channel! We're here for the long-awaited event... The Grand Burning Sands Race!!)
(And who's here to host it? None other than... ME!)
(But let's not waste time and start with the 5-second countdown!)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(2)
(1)
(BANG!!!)
— ... Who!?
And so the race began.
[To be continued...]
??? — Huh? Wait a minute, you already invaded the story!?
??? — I couldn't wait any longer, so I took the place of useless characters!
??? — But the author didn't even prepare to include you in the story...
??? — And did the author prepare for anything in this story?
??? — ... System, what's your opinion?
[No opinion]
??? — Ahh... Well, now that it happened, there's not much we can do... Anyway, what do you think of the characters who appeared?
??? — Hmm... I haven't met any of them yet, but the girl from the Cubo de Gelo Family seems nice.
??? — I'm more curious about the Autômato Family or the dragon girl... But what intrigues me the most is who will win.
??? — YES! And I'll be doing the commentary!!
??? — Just don't get caught.