Late in the morning...
'Thud… Thud… Thud…' Kent woke up to the sound of Fire Kirin beating the door of the combat room with its hooves.
Startled by the sudden noise, Kent hurriedly opened the room door. His brain buzzed to reality as he stared at the dancing Kirin at the door.
"Sh*t, what time is it?" Kent held his head as he picked up the sky orb. "God, it's too late. I need to be in school." Kent muttered as he dashed towards the washroom.
_
In the sky family Magus school...
The big, stadium-sized arena is buzzing with noise. People are cheering loudly while shouting their idol names. Occasionally, there are magic fires in the sky, displaying the names of contestants who stood at the center of the stadium.
All the elders of the school, including Thea, stood at the periphery of the arena, controlling the disciples.
At the center of the arena, 32 disciples stood along with their pets. The Arena master cum The vice patriarch of the Sky family school, Master Chen, stood on a raised platform, ready to address the gathering.
Elder Cha, the lady responsible for arena matters and tournament registrations, stood beside him, passing the list of contestants.
"Elder Cha, is everyone here already?" Master Chen asked, checking the names of the fighters who registered for the Secondary Magus competition.
"No, master. There is still one disciple missing. He is just a sixth-grade Magus who might be registered for fun. I think we should start without him." Elder Cha replied, thinking about Kent.
The countdown is still running on the Aurora glass (the big glass screen-like big screen in modern-day soccer stadiums). "We will wait until the countdown. Is everything ready for the flag capture?" Master Chen asked with a serious look.
"Yes, Master Chen. We are all set to start the combat mapping." Elder Cha replied respectfully.
Master Chen nodded while staring at the Aurora screen, which is displaying the remaining time left.
On the other side of the arena, Luna, along with all the other cheerleading groups, stood on a raised platform near the edge, holding glowing sticks. All the cheer-leading girls wore short clothes, revealing their curves, and they also needed flexibility while performing cheerleading stunts.
"Big sister Mo, who do you think will capture the golden flag this time?" Luna asked her senior sister while pulling her skirt higher.
"What type of question is that? Of course, it is the dazzling lady, Mia Snow. Look at her pet, no other pet could match the speed of her legendary rank, the Cloud Surfing Peacock." Mo Zen, the leader of the cheerleading group, replied in a confident tone.
Luna took a glance at Mia Snow, who stood beside her pet in the center of the stage. As the previous champion, no one could question Mia Snow's strength as a 10th-grade Magus.
"But sister Mo and young master Arul got a new pet from his family. Look at his fierce red python. I heard it can shoot fireballs."
Luna added while pointing her finger at the handsome young man, who is the dream boy of many girls. His white clothes and spiked-up white hair add a stylish look to Arul.
"You two, how can you ignore the fat king? Look at his bull. Even though it is not fast enough, I heard its sharp horns can kill any spirit beast." Another lady who stood beside Luna added.
Instead of continuing their argument, Mo Zen changed the topic by asking about Kent. "Luna, what happened to your ex-classmate Kent? Do you know anything about him?"
Luna became angry after hearing Kent's name. "Sister Mo, that day you cursed me for calling him pauper. Now look at the arena. Do you see him anywhere? That fellow registered his name for fun.
Also, he didn't have his own pet. As far as I know, he didn't even own a house eagle as a pet." Lucy said angrily as she noticed how Kent looked down on her during registration.
Mo Zen kept silent, as she really didn't see Kent in the competition arena. "Luna, I'm sorry for misjudging you. I thought you were badmouthing him. It seems like you are true. His 'Rainbow brand' clothes might be fake." Mo replied while holding Luna's hands.
But in the second, a loud cry reverberated in the sky, attracting everyone's attention.
"What's that?!" Mo shouted while pointing at the glowing thing in the sky.
"It's coming towards us." Lucy muttered in a fearful tone.
All the elders, including Thea, got ready with their weapons, as they couldn't see what was coming from the sky.
"Everyone, calm down." Master Chen shouted as he saw Kent on the back of a glowing thing.
The commotion died down as fast as it rose. Now everyone saw the person who was riding the glowing thing. Wearing a crimson-red combat dress, Kent almost got mixed up in the fires of Kirin.
"Is he Kent?!" Thea, who kicked Kent out of the house, immediately recognized him as they shared bed from childhood.
"Luna, why did he look like your ex-classmate? Are you sure he is not Kent?" Mo Zen asked while staring at Kent with infatuation.
Lucy had already lost her mind after seeing Kent in brand new combat clothes.
"Sister Mo, he is the new rich heir posted in the school forum." The girl, who stood beside Mo, spoke in a surprised tone.
_
"Ric, isn't he Kent?" Mona, who sat among the crowd with her boyfriend Ric, uttered it in the crowd.
Before Ric could reply, another fellow classmate responded in a mocking tone. "What happened to your brain, Mona? The person in the sky is a new young master who joined our school. Didn't you see the school forum?"
"Also, you posted that the number one old suitcase of our school, Kent, as the new young master. Do you know how other class disciples mocked us for that post?" another added in a fiery tone.
As Kent and his fire Kirin descended towards the center of the Arena, a hush fell over the crowd. The magnificent creature, ablaze with fiery energy, emanated an aura of power and majesty that left the spectators in awe.
Gasps of disbelief escaped the lips of the disciples gathered around the arena, their eyes wide with astonishment at the sight before them.
The pets of some of the other competitors whimpered and feared, sensing the overwhelming presence of Kent's fire Kirin. Some even attempted to flee the arena, their instincts urging them to escape the impending danger.
Especially, young master Arun's red python, it hid behind Arul while its body shuddering in fear.
Meanwhile, Kent, clad in his crimson red combat attire, dismounted from his fiery steed with grace and poise. Despite being the only low-level Magus among the tenth-level Magas, he exuded an air of confidence and determination that belied his status.
The arena buzzed with excitement and chatter as most of the spectators failed to recognize Kent. After all, he was known as the "number one old suitcase" back in school, a moniker that hardly instilled fear or respect in others.
As whispers spread through the crowd about the mysterious newcomer, some even dismissed the notion that he could be the infamous Kent.
Kent, who don't know about the drama going on in the crowd, reached the center of the arena on his Fire Kirin.
Just as he landed, the fire extinguished from the Fire Kirin, revealing its true form. He directly landed before Master Chen.
"Master, am I late for the competition?" Kent asked while getting down from the fire Kirin.